A Last Summer
by HAWTgeek
Summary: Annabeth and Percy are both held to their duty to their kingdoms,and they are being forced into marriages they do not want.To cheer them up,their parents arranged for Percy to jorney to her kingdom for a last summer.But good comes to he who waits...
1. Chapter 1

I followed my mother, or my step-mother I better say, and watched as she spoke with the Queen of the kingdom we were visiting. I listened as the Queen bragged about her two daughters, Abbalee and Rebecca, and her adopted son, Perseus, that they had gotten after they got a curse to never have sons.

I wasn't sure my step-mother, Olivia, noticed I was still behind her and hadn't run off to be with my father, who I loved more than anything. Olivia was new to this family, and she didn't know us too well yet. She and my father had married only three months before, and they had gone on a trip for two months before sending for me and my siblings.

Listening to their bragging made me miss my mother. She never would have done that, as a rule. My mother was Athena, the goddess of Wisdom. She had met my father long ago, when my father almost made a mistake that would have resulted in hundreds of deaths for his people. My mother appeared to him and stopped him, and they fell in love immediately.

Zeus, who was in an argument with Athena, promised her that she could stay with him for ten years before she had to return to Olympus. They married, and the kingdom loved her. Their marriage resulted in three children. They named their son, who was the first born twin, Zeus, to please Zeus, and they named my sister Olympia. When the twins were two, I was born. They had already pleased the gods, so they named me Annabeth.

I was six when my mother was called back to Olympus. They told kingdom that my mother had died, but I knew she was still alive. I also knew that I wouldn't be allowed to see her for a very long time, if _ever_.

It had been a year since my mother left, and my father had been pushed to marry Olivia. I wasn't sure if I liked Olivia because I barely knew her, but Olympia had decided that she hated Olivia. And I usually agree with my older sister.

"Your children just going to love Abbalee, everyone does!" the Queen boasted again as she brought us to the large door at the end of the hallway.

"I'm sure they will," Olivia agreed.

I took Olympia's hand to stop her from pointing out that we weren't her children, and she squeezed my hand for support.

The queen pushed the door open dramatically and showed us in to the grand school room.

Three children looked up at us.

I could tell who Abbalee was immediately. She seemed to be about twelve, and she was beautiful like her mother. Her long blonde hair swept down her back, and her dark brown eyes looked at us with curiosity. She was wearing the grandest of dresses, maybe even prettier than the one her mother wore. And she had that smug satisfaction of seeing that she was more beautiful than us.

Rebecca was a little plainer, and she seemed to be about eight. Her eyes were the same beautiful brown as Abbalee, but her hair was a dark brown like her father's. She had freckles, and she was wearing a simple dress. Her skin was tanned instead of the porcelain of Abbalee, and she held a book in her hand instead of how her sister had been speaking to a servant.

And then there was the boy. He was different from any other boy I had ever seen. His skin was olive, showing that he was part-Greek like me. His hair was black and fell into his eyes a little bit, though his mother seemed to have tried everything to stop that. I could have stared into his green eyes, trying to figure out if they were more like lake water or the rolling fields I had seen on the way here.

Olivia hurried Olympia towards Abbalee, hoping they would become fast friends, and the Queen pulled my brother towards Rebecca, hoping to make a couple. Perseus and I were left alone, forgotten about.

We both started walking towards each other until we came half-way.

"Prince Perseus," I nodded, remembering how Olivia had warned me to do when I saw other royalty.

"You don't have to do that, or at least not with me. Maybe with Abbalee, but not me. I'm Percy, just Percy," he smiled, acting like a child instead of a prince.

I liked that.

"I'm Annabeth."

_**Ten Years Later**_

I groaned as the sun peered through my bed curtains and into my eyes. I didn't like the mornings, and I had hoped to get some good sleep. It was hard to sleep without knowing Zee, my older brother, and Eli, my younger half-brother, weren't sleeping in the rooms next door. They were gone on a hunting trip with other royalty, and I was strangely missing them.

I guess it was because this was the last few months I was going to be a family with my four siblings. I was getting married this fall, and I wouldn't see my family too often after that.

I pushed away the sheer curtain and sat up in bed.

First, I went to the closet and put on simple dress and a pair of sandals before unlatching the door to my balcony.

I breathed in the sweet air and took a look outside. My kingdom was a large island with part of the land on the shore being in our domain. The castle was on the edge of the island, farthest from the short distance to the shore. My room overlooked the sweet ocean, and I had arranged it that way instead of taking the larger room that over looked the bustling market.

The ocean's water was calm, unusually calm. We didn't have dangerous weather, but it was never this placid. I knew immediately that my long-time friend, Percy, was travelling by water. He was the prince of a nearby kingdom, and I was one of the only ones who knew his deep dark secret.

For you see, his mother had been a beautiful heiress whose family owned a fishing empire. Her family was shocked when they found out she was pregnant, and they didn't know what to do with the little boy who was born. She had claimed that she was married before he suddenly disappeared, but she had also told them all of these stories about how the father had let her stay in his underwater kingdom and of all of the things she had seen there. So, they weren't sure what to believe. The son was sent to an upper-class orphanage, and the King and Queen adopted him when he was one. When he was three, they figured out that the water loved him. When he was four, the sea god himself claimed him as his son, and the family swore never to tell another soul. They didn't want word getting around that the new king of their empire was born out of wedlock. They didn't event tell Percy until he was about thirteen.

If there was anything I would hate most about being married, it would be the fact that I wouldn't see Percy much. Rebecca, his sister and my other best friend, would probably be allowed to visit by my husband. But I doubted that Perseus would be allowed because of the rivalry between the two kingdoms.

"Princessa! Princess Annabeth!"

I turned around to see Azabella running into my room.

Azabella was a chubby woman with wiry black hair. She had excited brown eyes that had been there for every important moment of my life. She was very superstitious, and she always wore frumpy black frocks. Azabella had come to work for my family when I was three, and she had raised us from the time our mother left until now.

She liked to call me Princessa because I had loved it when I was child, but she never called me Princess Annabeth unless something was wrong or she was mad.

"Azabella, what is it?" I quickly came towards the aging woman, seeing that she wasn't mad, and I became impatient as she caught her breath from running through the long corridor to my room.

"Annabeth," deep breath, "Your," another deep breath, "Father."

"Father? Is he aright? Is he sick? Should I send for the doctor?" I tried to hurry Azabella along.

"No," she shook her head, "He wants to" deep breath, "see you in the throne room in while."

"Then why tell me now, Aza?"

"There's a visitor," Azabella began.

"Oh, so you wanted to warn me about the visitor. Thank you," I smiled, thinking I had cracked it.

"No, no, Princessa!" Azabella caught her breath, "You do not understand! I'm here because of the visitor!"

"Oh, okay?" I knit my eyebrows, wondering if Azabella's mind had finally gone.

"Prince Perseus is here! He and his father just arrived!"

My face became serious and I placed two hands on Azbella's shoulders.

"Azabella, are you joking me again?"

"No, no, he's here, I swear. In the corridor from the Throne Room. He's staying in the next wing!"

I joyfully hugged the woman before running out the door before she could say anything else, like 'Annabeth, don't be so easy. Just wait for him to come!'.

My sandals slapped against the floor as I ran through the Children corridor and down the stairs to our school room where the servants were putting together breakfast for the two children who were still home. I didn't know the rest of the castle as well as I knew my wing, but I knew it well enough to go to the Guest Wing.

I hurried down the stairs to the hallway leading from the throne room to the rooms where the visitor's stayed.

And there he was, and it wasn't a dream this time.

"Percy!"

I hurried towards his open arms, and I noticed his smile widened. He pulled me off the ground and swirled me around as if I weighed more than a leaf, and I pushed my face into his shoulder, closing my eyes tightly to make sure I wouldn't wake up if this was indeed a dream.

"What are you doing here?" I smiled wide as he set me down, letting me stare up into his green eyes.

"I'm here for a month with my father," he smiled, almost laughing from happiness, "Turns out we're both pretty mad about our marriages."

Usually, Princes didn't get married until they at least eighteen, but every girl loved Percy. He was seventeen, only a few months older than me, but his father was ready to pass down the crown. And a perfect young princess's family was begging for the marriage.

"Don't bring that up," I shook my head.

"Oh why not?" he smiled, "Prince Luke's country is undoubtedly going to prosper, and you've found that one husband who will allow you to really run the kingdom, like you do here."

"I don't know what you're talking about," I lied.

"I read the latest decree, and it was word-by-word what you had told me you would do if you were King. I know you help your father, Annie," he laughed, and I simply shrugged, happy to know he knew though I could never admit it. I liked it when he thought I was smart and when he told me that or when he told other people.

He loved to brag about my wisdom, and he didn't hold me back like other boys did. Percy treated me like a person, not a girl. He even taught me sword fighting when I was twelve. Percy had told me that it was in self-defense because of all of the journeys I took, but I didn't believe that. If that had been true, he wouldn't have let me use his favorite sword, and he definitely wouldn't have shown me all of those secret maneuvers he had made up.

The throne door opened when I was about to suggest that we go to the beach so that we could talk before someone could track me down to talk to my father.

Percy and I turned around to look at the King, and we separated in the process.

Percy's father, King Paul, was a handsome man though he looked nothing like Percy. He was known for being intimidating, but I had only seen him as a jolly father. He had always liked me, and I had adored him from the day I had seen him roll his eyes at Abbalee's bragging when we were eight.

He had gained quite a bit of weight since the time I had first seen him, but it didn't matter. His brown eyes were those of Rebecca's, but I didn't know where Rebecca's freckles had come from. King Paul's long brown hair was in a ponytail, something I hated, and he wore expensive red garments that must have been Hades to travel in.

"Annabeth," his voice was trying to be a Kingly stern, but it was still full fond cheerfulness, "King Frederick wishes you to come for an audience."

"Of course, King Paul," I bowed, though I rarely bowed to anyone human, "Goodbye, Prince Perseus."

"Goodbye, Princess Annabeth," he bowed, smiling like this was all just a joke.

I scurried towards the throne room, and, as usual, I felt a gloom set over me as I stepped in and closed the door.

The throne room was always cold, even in the hottest of the year, and it set me on edge. The floors were expensive marble that echoed, and the throne was pure marble that was built into the floor. I had never actually sat on it, so I didn't know how it felt. But my mother had always told me that she thought my father was crazy for making the throne like that.

And then there was the actual scary sight.

My father's secretary, James, had a desk nearby the throne, and he was always taking notes in his perfect handwriting. He looked down on me and my sister as if we were below him due to our gender, and I hated him for it.

As usual, James glared at me as I walked into the room and bowed to my father.

"King Frederick."

"James, leave us," my father instructed, "I wish to speak with my daughter alone."

James seemed a little insulted but he stood from his desk anyway.

"Of course, my king," he bowed towards my father and took his special door out.

We both waited until we knew James had really left until we spoke.

"You're flushed, Annabeth," my father smiled playfully, and I blushed.

"Yes, I am."

"May I ask why, dear daughter?"

I looked up at him and saw the humor in his brown eyes.

"Father," I came closer until I was almost standing at the throne, "How long is he to stay? I've missed him so, and I couldn't bear it if he was to leave soon."

I realized I was begging. My father and I were close, very close. I was his favorite daughter. He loved Olympia a lot too, but she was so spirited, and she was also the eldest of the family. I was the youngest child born to Athena, and I was the only one who looked exactly like her in the face. Olympia had her dark hair and her eyes. But I was like a replica, and my dad loved it.

"Perseus is to stay for a month or so. His father and I had business to attend to now that Sparta is nearing another war, and we both discussed how depressed you two had been since your engagements. But I cannot keep him here forever, Annabeth," he warned me, and I nodded.

"Oh, thank you!" I ignored the rules that my father had made about the throne room and hugged him tightly.

"Annabeth," my father started again, "You must remember that you are no longer just a princess."

I nodded, not listening as he continued because I knew it was probably about how I shouldn't put myself in danger or something like that. I was too busy thinking of what I would do with Percy. I had missed him so much that I almost wanted to run out and spend every passing moment with him before he was going to return to his home land.

"I know, Father."

"And, Annabeth," my father hesitated.

"Yes?"

"I didn't do this fully for you. I hoped that bringing him could be used as an exchange."

"An exchange?" I knit my eyebrows in confusion.

"Annabeth, I brought Prince Perseus here to make you stop being against your marriage to Prince Lucas."

I paused, not sure what he had meant.

My marriage to Prince Lucas had been planned since I was nine years old. My mother had told my father not to plan my marriage because she wanted to see what kind of man he was before she gave him her daughter. But my father decided against it and set up my marriage to Prince Lucas when I was nine. I had known since then that I was to marry him, but it didn't set in until I was fifteen.

Prince Lucas and his family came down to our kingdom, and, as was a custom in his land, I was given a golden anklet to show that I belonged to him, in a way. During this visit, I got to see the man I was going to be spending the rest of my life with. Sure, he was handsome with eyes like the sea, but he was strong willed. Luke was distraught, and he seemed to have something against the gods. He didn't have much religion, and he particularly didn't care about Athena.

I knew I could have ended up with worse, but he definitely wasn't my favorite person in the world.

"You've been against this marriage for the last year when you got the anklet. Lucas's country and Perseus's country are the border between us and our biggest enemy. Our people need this, Annabeth, and your duty is to your people."

I nodded.

"I really do wish you could marry for love like I did," my father smiled as he took my hand, "And I hate seeing you distraught, but this must happen. You are the only one who could change those wicked ways before his people are punished for his lack of religion."

I nodded again, feeling sick to my stomach though I had known I must marry Prince Lucas.

As a little girl, I had thought my father would let me marry for love because I was his favorite and all, and I had pictured Olympia marrying for duty. But it had turned the other way around. She had fallen in love with her fiancé last summer when she received his ring, and it had almost been unbearable for her to wait for their wedding. But it was unbearable for me to think of the fact that my wedding was coming up soon and there wasn't one thing I could do to stop it.

"You can get back to Perseus. Just be sure to make it to dinner tonight, Annabeth," he nodded towards the door, telling me my audience was over.

"Of course, Father," I bowed and slowly went back to the door.

For a moment, I doubted that even Percy could make me smile after my latest lecture from my father, but I prayed to every god I could think of that he would.

_**I've kind of had this Princess Dream since I was a little kid. So, I turned it into Annabeth and Percy and decided to give it a shot.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Annabeth:**_

As I had expected, our parents had kept Percy and me apart for the first day. It always seemed to happen when we came to see each other. Our families would come to say hello, and we'd unpack. Then dinner always came early so that everyone could ask us about how we've been doing since they last saw us even if it hasn't been long at all.

By the time either of us finally had enough time to talk, it was time to get ready for dinner.

"Perseus, when is your wedding again?" Olivia asked before taking a sip of wine, and Percy looked at her from where he had been discussing literature with my sister, Olympia.

"This August, Queen Olivia," Percy nodded toward my step-mother, trying to fake being happy about it, but I knew him too well to believe that.

"That's about the time of Annabeth's," Olivia smiled at me like she was proud of me marrying, and my father continued to eat instead of speaking. Only Olivia had few enough brain cells in that beautiful blonde head of hers to bring up my wedding.

"And Olympia's, right?" Percy quickly averted his attention to my older sister, and my sister blushed merrily as she looked down at the ruby engagement ring her fiancé, Alexander, had given her.

I had seen my sister happy, like when she found out that Olivia was unable to have any more children after Eli, meaning we wouldn't have more younger siblings running around and annoying us. I had seen her through every emotion, but I had never once seen her as radiant and glad as she was with Alexander. I don't think even my parents, whose match was made in the heavens, were as much in love as Alexander and Olympia.

I longed for that sense of love that was overpowering like the way she felt for Alex. But I knew I'd never get that chance.

"That's right. On July fourteenth, Alex and his wedding party are coming here, and we get married on the twenty-sixth," Olympia smiled widely as she looked down at her glass of wine, and I swear I saw my sister blush, which I didn't even know happened _ever_.

"Cheers to the happy couple then," King Paul raised his goblet, and we all did the same to toast.

"Cheers," my father nodded as he raised his glass again, and he drank the red liquid. It was rare for my father to let me drink, so I took up on the offer.

I didn't understand why he didn't let me drink. In a few months, I'll be married, and everyone will be hoping for be to become with child so that they can have a new heir. But I can't drink wine in his presence? That's just hypocritical.

I looked across the table towards Percy, who was almost finished with his dinner. As I sat there, I thought back to how long it had been since I had last seen those sea green eyes of his.

It was Rebecca's birthday, and I had come to wish her happy fifteenth birthday. So, that was… three? Four months? Around there, but I had written to Percy repeatedly since then. Sometimes, it was easier to write, but not in a time like this. Not when I was being forced into a marriage with a man I could barely stand.

"_Ready_?" Percy mouthed while everyone looked away to discuss their own matters, and I nodded.

"Your highness," Percy looked towards my father, "I've had a long day of traveling. Would you mind if I returned to my chambers for some rest?"

"Of course not, Perseus. Do you remember how to get to your room?" the king asked, even though it would be insane if he didn't know after all of these years. Percy had always stayed in the same room of the same wing, something I made sure of for my own reasons.

"I just keep forgetting, Your Highness," Percy apologized with a boyish smile, and my father turned to me.

"Annabeth, can you walk your guest to his room?" my father asked.

"Of course," I nodded, shocked at the fact he still bought it. If I had a pent for every time we pulled that trick, I'd be able to buy my own country. But maybe my dad just knew that I wanted to see him alone without a bunch of people talking about weddings around me.

Percy and I both stood, bowed towards the Kings and the Queen, and left quickly as we had been taught to do. No one was out in the halls, or really everywhere, when we came through the door and closed it behind us.

For the first thing, no one was really home. My two brothers were away, taking some of the friends that were here so often that I worried they lived here. My two best friends, or at least the ones who live here, Thalia and Reyna, were off on a hunting trip of their own to prove to Jason that they could do what guys can do, if not do it better. And the castle staff was all tucked away and eating, I suppose.

Percy made sure the heavy door was closed, and he looked at me with a devilish smile I knew all too well.

"No."

"I didn't even get to ask," Percy protested.

"You don't have to. I know what you're going to say, and I'm not doing it, not in these shoes," I crossed my arms, and he faked a pout.+

"This is our last summer, Anniebeth. Don't want to break tradition this late into it," he smirked and started walking off without me, in the opposite way of his room and towards the archway to the garden. I struggled to keep up and spout of reasons why we shouldn't, but it wasn't making a difference.

"Annabeth, you're the one who thought of this," he stopped in the middle of the garden and crossed his arms.

"I know, Percy."

"_And_ you're the one who always makes me join."

"I know."

"That means you're doing it."

I stared at him for a long time, so long that I couldn't tell if it was minutes or hours. I hated when he did that smart thing. I was used to him being the idiot that tries to talk me into dumb things while I use the voice of reason. So, this completely blindsided me.

"Follow me then," I walked to the right, making Percy smile as he followed behind me obediently.

Four years ago, when we were about twelve, he came to the kingdom while his sister was sick, and we had decided to climb this wall, something we now did every time he came. We had a lot of weird traditions, mainly just because we could. Usually, those traditions went away after a year, but this one just stuck.

When I reached the stone wall that overlooked the ocean, I could instantly tell which stones we had used as stepping places for years. On one, Percy had even carved his initials, so they weren't too hard to spot.

"Ladies first," he nodded towards the wall, and I stared at him, "Fine, _I'll_ go."

He had forgotten some stones that made it easier for climbing, but he made it to the top of the wall and took the spot that he always had. While he got situated, I took off the shoes that Azabella had insisted I wear. Percy offered his hand for help climbing, and I just handed him the shoes, making him laugh.

It was a little difficult to climb the wall, as it had been three inches of height and ten pounds since I had last climbed it, but I managed better than Percy.

"Was that really so bad?" Percy smirked, and I pointed towards the grass stains on the white shoes.

"Tell that to the shoes."

"So, you're never going to wear them again, I'm guessing?"

"I guess not," I narrowed my eyes, trying to figure out what was going on in that sick and twisted head of his.

He smiled as he threw the white shoes so far that they landed in the ocean, and he used his son-of-a-sea-god abilities for the water to take the beautiful heels far out to sea.

"Percy!"

"You weren't going to wear them!" he laughed as I tried to hit him, but it's not like it was a fair fight. He had spent the last ten years being trained by the best retired Generals his parents could talk into training him.

So, I was like a toddler against a Spartan warrior.

"Oh shut up," I nudged him, and he just laughed.

"What do you think it's going to be like? Next year, I mean."

I shrugged and pulled my knees to my chest as I watched the sun finished setting.

"I don't know. This thing here, the wall climbing, is over. But we'll be closer to each other, I guess, even if Lucas doesn't like you. I can complain enough that he'll cave."

He laughed.

"You're forgetting about Katarina, Annabeth," he shook his head, "She even got jealous of me spending too much time with Abbalee. _My sister_, Abbalee. You really think she'll let me see you?"

I wanted to cry as I thought about that.

If I was to think about everything in my past, every big moment in my life, Percy was there. When did I learn to ride a horse? Eight, when Percy dared me to. When my brother was born, who did I go to talk about it? Percy. When did I learn to fence? Thirteen, Percy taught me. Who was there when I broke my leg? Percy stayed with me, determined to make up the fact that he had suggested racing.

And I wanted him to be there when everything else happened, like me getting married or meeting my first child. I wanted him to tell embarrassing stories to my children, and I had been sure that it _would _happen.

I put my face into my knees, and I forced myself not to cry.

Percy scooted closer to me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, and I didn't say anything. Instead, I pushed my face into his chest and leaned more into him.

"Princess Annabeth is crying. Someone get a scribe, this needs to go into history."

I laughed and looked towards the water again.

"You're awful, Perseus."

"But you love me."

"Maybe," I shrugged, and he shook his head.

"Shut up."

"Dinner should be ending soon, and Olivia will come to check on you. I better get you to your room."

"At least Olivia didn't walk me back like my mom does," he nudged me one last time before letting go of me and turning to climb back down the wall. I looked back towards the ocean, silently vowing that I would avenge my shoes.

_**Percy:**_

I tapped my foot impatiently as I waited for Annabeth.

How long have I known Annabeth?

Ten years? Maybe even to the day.

How long have I been in love with her?

Nine years and three hundred sixty-four days.

That I know.

I even remember when and why it happened, even if it was so long ago.

My mother had Zee, Olympia, and Annabeth study with us, and we were all sitting in the class room. As usual, Abbalee was brushing her long blonde hair in the back of the room. Rebecca stared at the teacher, trying not to roll her eyes at our older sister. Olympia and Zee, as usual, were talking between themselves. Annabeth and I, being the same age, were sort of sticking together, so she sat beside me. I was almost about to fall asleep, and I turned to look at Annabeth.

Her eyes looked hungry, hungry for knowledge. She wanted to know everything, and she wouldn't quit until she did. She was like a sponge, soaking up everything our tutor said. I had never seen a girl like that. I had never seen _anyone_ like that, but especially not a girl. With a sister like Abbalee, it's not like I expected girls to be like that.

It was also then that I saw her beauty, the inner and outer. Her grey eyes were unique, and I loved them. And she was undoubtedly the only blonde that I didn't want to drown, including my mother sometimes.

At the time, I had no clue what it was. I even tried to tell myself it wasn't there. By the end of the week that Annabeth stayed with us, we were best friends, and I promised myself I wouldn't screw it up. As years went on, it grew and grew, but I didn't hone up to it. My father even told me when I was nine that he wouldn't get us engaged because he knew we were just friends, and I didn't know how to feel about that one. By the time I was thirteen, when she came for a month, I finally let it in, those feelings I had for Annabeth.

"Sorry I'm late," Annabeth hurriedly told me as she closed the secret entrance behind her.

It was a fire escape, or an escape for when the castle was attacked. Both of our closets, as well as many others, led to a hallway with a stairwell. It came down to the outside walkway, towards the ocean. Annabeth always made sure I had that room, something I loved, because the room next to it had another escape.

I bit my tongue not to gasp at how beautiful she looked.

Her long blonde curls had been tied into a long braid sweeping don her back, and she had worn a blue dress without sleeved with how hot it got here during the day, but I knew that she had shown her feet to remind me of how I had thrown her shoes out to see the night before.

"And she shows up," I crossed my arms, and she playfully pushed me.

"Let's go. Azabella and my dad would kill me if they saw us sneaking out again," she took my hand and started to pull me off.

"Why would your father be mad?" I asked as I hurried after her.

I knew about Azabella, who hated it when Annabeth didn't act like the perfect princess around me. But it had never made any difference to her father. It got his daughter smiling, and that was all he needed.

"A deal I made with him," Annabeth continued to pull me towards the safety of the forest separating the garden from the beach, which I knew my heart by now.

"What kind of deal?"

Annabeth mumbled something under her breath, probably for me to shut up, and she tightened her grip on my wrist and went a little faster.

"The kind of deal that would make this annoying for him."

I stared at her, realizing that Annabeth's stubbornness had grown so much since I had last seen her. I didn't know what I was going to do without it, without her.

It was a scary thought, something I had worried about for years now. Sure, I had known it was coming. But nothing, and I do mean _nothing_, prepared me for that invitation to Annabeth's wedding. Even if the invitation for Annabeth to come to _my_ wedding went out the week before, it still hurt like Hades.

"Where are we going, Annabeth?" I finally gave up on why her father would be mad. I had a summer to pester that one out of her.

"I don't really know," she smiled widely.

"That's comforting."

_**XXXXXX**_

"Have I read long enough?" I complained.

I waited, but Annabeth didn't say anything.

I looked beside me to see Annabeth had fallen asleep on me.

"Was I _that_ boring?" I laughed but quickly stopped myself so I wouldn't wake up the blonde in my arms.

She 'mmm'ed and cuddled closer to me, making me smile. I pushed a lock of her blonde hair behind her ear and smiled down at her.

What was I going to do without her?

Then again, what would I do if she wasn't marrying my worst enemy?

She would never notice me as anything other than her brother-like friend.

I guess I better explain some things about Luke.

I met Prince Lucas when I was about four, and we were sort of friends. Of course, we always tried to look better than each other all the time. It was constant competition, but we were still friends and everything.

Until we were fourteen at least.

By that time, I knew I loved Annabeth, and Luke knew she was marrying her. One summer, he came over, and we were sitting around in the fencing arena. We were both a little drunk, just a little, and he told me he'd be good to Annabeth and would change his ways. I didn't know what he meant by that. He stayed with me for a month, and his quirks that I had been fine with now bothered me. Then came the worst part.

The day before he was to leave, I couldn't sleep. So, I decided to go see Luke and talk into fencing again. When I reached the room, I knocked lightly, but I heard giggling. The giggling of _Abbalee_.

Now, I knew Luke was a flirt, but no one was compared to Abbalee. Abbalee was beautiful, and she loved for _everyone_ to know it. My sister was even a flirt when she was but a little child, and my father quickly got a nice young prince to marry her when she was six. After that, she was determined to make everyone wish it had been them.

She was married now to a nice guy who can keep her good for the most part. But she wasn't then.

Once you see your older sister making out with your best friend, I swear to you that you will never _ever_ un-see that.

After that, Luke and I were enemies.

I don't even think it was about Abbalee.

Sure, she was my sister and everything, but I kind of knew she would do that. I think it was about me seeing who he was, and how he would be to Annabeth.

I worried about not telling Annabeth, but I had never done it.

If _anyone _could _ever _change him, it would be Annabeth.

"Mmm," Annabeth's eyes started to blink open.

"Oh. Sorry, Percy," Annabeth sat up immediately, "I fell asleep. _On you_, which is _worse._"

She pushed her hair behind her ear.

"So hypocritical when you get mad at me for not paying attention," I sat up as well, smiling at how she was blushing.

"Yeah," Annabeth blushed again, "Uh…We should get back to the castle. It's almost lunch. And Olivia wants me to get ready for Reyna to come back tomorrow."

"Reyna. That'll be interesting," I laughed.

"Be nice to Thalia and Reyna. They'll be here all summer.

_**So, I know this isn't very good, but I kind of like writing it. But I have no clue really where I'm going. **_

_**I promise it'll get better though!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Annabeth:**_

It had been a long time since Percy had last seen Thalia and even longer since he had seen Reyna.

Thalia was the daughter of Zeus, something she liked to hide. Thalia's mother didn't want her, and Thalia knew that. Her uncle, a general and friend of my fathers, took her in when she was only a few weeks old, and she was given a better life. Her uncle was a widow with three sons, all of whom are brilliant generals now. When Thalia was four, a rattlesnake snake curled around her, about to bite. Before her uncle could safe her, she killed it. From then on, she had been taught how to hunt and become the best at it.

When she was thirteen and me eleven, my father gave her uncle a promotion, and he moved into the castle. By then, Thalia's little brother, Jason, had come to live with them, and Thalia scared me when I first met her. That quickly faded, but she didn't like me. But I respected her. I left like a spoiled rotten princess when I was around her, seeing the scars she had and the designs on her back that was meant prosperity.

I was absolutely determined to gain her respect, partly from my stubbornness, but I often worried that I too would grow to be Abbalee, and I knew having Thalia as a friend wouldn't permit that. I wanted more out of my life, I wanted to prove to my mother that I wasn't a Princess. I was a demigod. And I wouldn't back down until I had proven myself.

I was a gangly eleven year old, so I couldn't show strength. Like Thalia, I was good at archery, but I was pale in comparison to her. Towards the fall, my summer steam started to die out, and I was worried she'd never accept me. Until that day that her little brother, ten at the time, got lost. Thalia went searching for him, and I tagged along though I knew I wouldn't be helpful. And finally the little boy, who was especially small before he reached his growth sprit three years later, was found in a tree and couldn't get down. We both tried to reason with him, and he said the heights scared him too much, even though he was the son of the sky. Finally, I wriggled my way up the tree and grabbed the little boy's hand. I explained that if this girly princess can do it, Jason could do anything. We climbed down, he quickly learned to love heights a little too much, and Thalia loved me from then on.

When we were fourteen, another girl joined out group. To Reyna, her mother was just part of her blood because she was a goddess who had never taken much interest in her. Her father was the youngest of his royal family, leaving him only money and no power. He moved to this kingdom when Reyna was born for a fresh start because he wanted to be a strong remodel for her instead of a guy who takes money from his parents. He was kind of like a governor, telling my father of the people of the island. For fourteen years, they lived on the other side of the island, occasionally dropping by but never for long. And Reyna never came, she was always too busy. But he got promoted and moved into a stately home at the edge of the land, close to town and us.

Reyna was beautiful, and she was sort of exotic for where she lived. Around here, we had a lot of people with light hair or black hair. And the eyes were usually blue or green. But her eyes were a dark and passionate brown. Her dark brown hair was long and thick, which is why she always braided it behind her back.

And that was probably why Thalia's brother had developed a crush on her…

Because of this, Thalia and I decided that we should check up on her, see what kind of girl she was. From the moment we met her, it clicked, and we became best friends in as little as a week. And it never mattered our age difference except for when we saw Reyna and Jason so clearly in love with each other but never speaking.

Percy and Reyna got along fine. They were friends, and, along with the rest of, Percy quite often pushed Reyna in the way of seeing how much Jason cared for her. They also agree on their godly parents, thinking they are just part of their DNA and nothing more.

Percy and Thalia were different, oh so different.

They acted more like siblings than he did with his real sister, Rebecca. They understand each other better than anyone, and maybe that's the problem. Thalia and Percy loved each other at the end of the day, but they spent the rest of the time fighting.

I was thinking of all this, thinking back to the six months where their tutor quit and Percy's three siblings were sent out to friends and Percy came to me.

I had to admit that I liked that winter, probably the first time I ever enjoyed not having the sun out all of the time. Infact, I remember the small things about that time mostly. I remember the way we'd meet out in the hallway to the escape, covered in blankets and play card games. I remembered how his green eyes were really brought out by those rosy winter cheeks of his. I remember that Percy come into my room at six am, when I woke with the dreaded cold. He'd talk to me for an hour, and he'd go back and hide in the closet when the nurse came in and gave me my breakfast and came to check on my condition. Then he came back out was the one to really take care of me throughout the day.

Just thinking about the winter made me regret leaving the shall in my room, and I hurried towards the group that was standing at the front door to see Reyna and Thalia return. I could tell Olivia wasn't pleased that even Percy and his father had made it before I had, back I didn't care much. Olivia was always cross at me for something. Might as well get it out of the way for the day.

I glanced at Percy, taking my spot beside Olivia which was farthest from Percy.

He looked my way and smiled. And the heat returned to my body, mainly to my cheeks.

There was absolutely nothing like seeing Percy smiled. He had changed a lot in the last three years, and I had missed it. He was a cute baby, and an adorable toddler. He became a cute kid, and a becoming teenager. But, on his seventeenth birthday, things completely changed for Prince Perseus. It was almost the exact moment he blew out the candles that we saw it. We whitnessed him changing from becoming teenager to handsome man, or god really.

Almost immediately, princesses at the ball ran to their fathers to work it out so that they could marry Prince Perseus.

I was somewhat immune to some of it, like I didn't go weak in the knees like other girls. I didn't feel my heart aflutter unless it was a triple attack (a sweet conversation/or abs showing, looking straight into his intoxicating green eyes, and having that smile). And, I was happy about that.

But I wasn't immune to his smile.

As I forced myself to look towards the sky and towards the town, I start to see Reyna and Thalia come up the path.

I knew that they had returned early this morning, and had first gone to Reyna's house. They had eaten, food that was not meat because it was basically all they had eaten on the hunt. They slept. They bathed, Reyna with that special oil that always makes Jason get closer to her so that he can smell it better. They probably slept again before dressing in their usual outfits and appearing gorgeous, to prove that not only can girls hunt but they look good while doing it.

As they came closer, I knew it was them, and I smiled to myself.

Reyna was really the only one who truly dressed Greek here. We were a combination of Greek and the land that Percy was from because it was so close. Around here, we had Greek-influenced items. We dressed like them but with our own little "Fishing-Kingdom" twist on it. We always made it a little more blue or different stitching but same overall style. But Reyna wore exactly what they wore in Athens with pride, unless it was time to prove she wasn't a girly girl and she dressed like Thalia.

Now, Thalia you couldn't miss. Maybe, on the street while not really paying attention, you'd miss Reyna, but never Thalia. Thalia's skin is the same olive tone as ours, and she resembles Percy greatly. Intense eyes, though hers are blue instead of green. Thick lips, but that's from her mother. Long black hair that's always kept in a braid no matter what. A lean figure and high cheekbones that she shared with Percy.

Other than her striking looks, you can't miss how she goes around. Unlike the other girls, she doesn't wear the dresses or giggle at all. Everyone else's walk seems to be a stride, sometimes even mine, but Thalia just gets there, squeezing past people and taking odd short cuts. She always wears her hunting outfit, claiming its comfortable, of a dark green dress that goes to her knees, black leggings, and soft boots.

"Oh Reyna!" Olivia gasped and held her hand over her heart as soon as Reyna got close. Olivia had always loved Reyna, thinking that she was so beautiful that Eli must marry her or at least Olivia should be friends with her, but Reyna couldn't stand her.

"Queen Olivia," Reyna bowed, forcing the distain out of her voice. Olivia continued to talk, letting Thalia come towards Percy.

I watched the two closely, looking for signs of another fight.

"Thalia," Percy smiled, and Thalia waited for a minute before finally smiling. She closed the distance between her cousin and hugged him. I managed to hear her whisper something in his ear and he nodded, but I couldn't hear what she said because my step-mother was talking so much.

_**XXXXX**_

"So, Percy's here," Reyna nudged me as we came to the garden, which was my special place with the two girls.

The day she met Percy, Reyna pulled me aside and laughed as she asked if I liked him. Well, actually it was more of a statement than asking me. I had told her a million times he was my friend, my friend who was getting _married_ soon, but she never believed me. She was absolutely sure that I was in love with Perseus, and she was out to prove it.

"Jason will be here tomorrow," I pointed out, not in the mood for a long fight over just that one thing.

Reyna frowned and plopped down on the comfortable chairs under the protection of canopy trees. As soon as I could walk, my mother would take me for walks with her. Because I learned at eighteen months, she spent a while just walking through the castle and picking me up to take my outside. When I was two, my mother started walking me to this garden every day, even if it was snowing. There weren't any chairs back then, so she'd just sit down on the grass near a canopy tree and talk to me. From the moment Zeus took her away, I couldn't stop coming out here until my dad fixed it up, mainly for my protection. Somehow, this little place became the spot for me and my friends.

"Early, too. They'll be here before lunch and plan on spending the day alone," Thalia told us as she took her chair, closest to the shade.

"You mean eating the chef's food, taking bubble baths, and sleeping in a soft bed," Reyna raised her eyebrow, and Thalia smiled as she nodded.

"Zee will never admit when he's wrong, you know that," I shrugged as I took my seat, near the purple flowers my mother planted with me when I was four.

"None of you will," Reyna looked at me, and I moaned.

"For the last time, Percy is _my friend_. I love him as _that_. _My friend_. Not as some boy I'm desperately, hopelessly, and secretly in love with," I rolled my eyes, seeing the big downside to Percy coming.

Reyna would never stop with this.

"You gotta admit, he'd be a great catch," Thalia brought out a knife and picked up a stick to sharpen the edge.

We all turned to stare at her, and she quickly realized what was going on.

"Not for _me_! I've decided against marriage."

No, she's against marrying anyone but Nico, the person to go from soldier to general in such a short amount a time.

_And_ he was the youngest general ever.

But she doesn't tell it like that.

"Or not marrying anyone but Nico…" I finished.

Thalia didn't deny or agree with it. Instead, she glared at me until we changed the subject.

"So, how long's Percy been here?"

"Not long. A day or two."

"Why didn't you tell us he was coming?" Reyna asked.

"I didn't know. I just woke up one morning, and Azabella rushed in telling me he was talking to my father with King Paul. And he was," I shrugged again, "My dad said it was supposed to cheer me up. To have one more summer for old time's sake before I'm married off to Luke."

"What do you think it'll be like? Married to Prince Lucas?" Thalia asked, worried for the girl who had become like her little sister.

I didn't know, and I didn't like that. I didn't know if we'd get along. I didn't know if he would be a good dad, though I couldn't really picture him as a father period, and I didn't know if he'd really be able to change his ways and never cheat on me.

And that made it that much worse.

"I don't know."

My voice was so timid, so fragile, that I wasn't even sure it was mine.

At that moment, there was nothing more I wanted than my mother to be there, telling me that everything would be okay. Pushing my hair out of my eyes and using that melodic voice to get rid of all of my fears.

But I hadn't seen her in so long.

And only one person had learned how to calm me like she could, and, if I went to see him right now, Reyna would never let me hear the end of it.

_**Percy:**_

I tried to sleep, but Thalia's words were still stuck in my head.

"You still love her, don't you?"

It wasn't something I could stop, though I had often tried.

It wasn't something that was painless, I got a reminder of that every time Annabeth smiled at me like I was her brother or something.

It wasn't something that was easy, that was an understatement.

I had never actually told Thalia, but she had figured it out long ago. She knew but never brought it up until the time that Annabeth got the anklet from Luke. I had come earlier and heard of everyone talking about how it was coming up soon. I somehow managed to pretend that I was fine all through dinner until I finally got away towards the wall.

Thalia had followed me and climbed up beside me. Thalia being eighteen at the time, I had hoped she would have the answers to get rid of this feeling, but I couldn't bring myself to speak.

"You love Annabeth," Thalia didn't say it like it was a question. It was just a statement, out there in the open now. I didn't take my eyes off the water as I nodded, wondering if my father would let me drown if I tried.

Thalia didn't say anything after that like "She loves you, too", but I hadn't expected her to. Even if Annabeth was in love with me too, which was unlikely, she couldn't just leave Prince Lucas for me. Prince Lucas would need to agree to calling off the engagement, and his people needed her.

Finally, I managed to speak.

"Will it ever stop hurting?" I asked, though I knew Thalia probably wouldn't know the answer.

"No, no, it never does."

From that moment on, I knew that Thalia had the same problem of some sorts though I never asked who and probably never would. It was easier to bare this in silence.

After about thirty minutes of staring at the ceiling, I got out of bed. I pulled my shirt back on, though I didn't remember why I had taken it off in the first place. I ruffled my hair and noticed that I needed a haircut, which meant I would need to stay far away from Annabeth until I got that done (I know it wasn't her fault, but I just don't like my ear bleeding! Little cut or not).

I went out on the balcony and took a deep breath of the fresh sea air. My room faced the garden, unlike how Annabeth saw the sea, but I didn't mind. The garden was beautiful, especially at night when the only light is the few candles along the stone castle walls and the fireflies.

I was taking it all in when a figure came to the garden. She held a candle, but the hood was over her head so I couldn't see what she would look like other than that (Though on the third floor, I could see just about everything down there).

She didn't go far into the garden, just to a little spot where there were a few shade trees, but I could still see her. The girl knelt down and set the candle down on the grass. She went around for a while, picking up wood, and I found it almost amusing though I still wanted to know who it was. While she kept looking around, I decided that I wasn't going back to sleep anyway and I lit the candles on the wall so that I could see her better.

By the time I finished that, the weird girl went back to the place where she put the candle and started to work. I couldn't see what she was doing, but I think I sort of knew.

The girl removed her hood, and golden curls spilled out.

_Annabeth_.

"What is Annabeth doing?" I mumbled.

Annabeth took the candle and lit a small fire, and she threw something in, creating this odd smoke. But I knew the smell.

She's praying, offering something to the gods. Probably to Athena, or Hera since she was getting married soon.

I was about to leave, knowing that this was something precious with Annabeth and that she'd kill me if she saw me spying (though I wouldn't call it spying really), but Annabeth put out the fire. She scattered the burnt wood and picked up the candle. As she was pulling up her hood, I got a good look at her face.

Her _teastained_ face.

I felt my stomach clench and my jaw tighten.

I could never handle it when I saw Annabeth cry. Sure, I could hold her and whisper that everything will be okay. But it made me sick, made me want to strangle whoever the hell caused it.

I went back to my room and forced myself to go to sleep, not wanting to be awake so I wouldn't have to continuously see that image of Annabeth crying.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Percy,**_

I smiled as Zee's wrist moved, and I pushed his sword out of his grip.

Zee was a handsome guy, or at least that was what people say. He looked like Annabeth, meaning he looked like Athena. His eyes were grey, but his hair was dark brown that was almost black, unlike Annabeth. He had a tan every time I saw him, and he had spent years training to beat me. But he never had.

Zee's face fell in defeat, and his panting started, as it always did as soon he had officially lost. But I smiled and looked for the signs I always see when Zee is depressed about losing.

Sweat on his brow.

Placing his hands on his hips as he leaned over to breathe heavily.

Utter defeat spread across his face.

As usual, he did all that before reaching down for his sword. He flipped it over in his hand a few times, though I wasn't sure why. Zee was just weird like that, something I knew very well.

"I'm switching out swords," Zee tightened his grip on the sword, "Back in a minute."

"Got it," Jason nodded, and Zee started back for the castle.

I took a deep breath and threw my sword down into the ground, and I turned around from the two blonde boys sitting nearby to get some water.

Here's how we all ranked when it came to fencing, though we don't want to admit it.

Me-Zee-Jason-Eli

In Eli's defense, he was so much younger than us. He was only nine, though he acted so much older. But he wasn't a sword-fighter and never would be. He was a hunter, who was even better at archery than Thalia. He was a good boy, someone I hoped to have a son like. He was a lot like Annabeth, she had basically raised him since Olivia was truly not the Mother-Type. The twins came to help, too, though they were quite often too busy to raise the boy like Annabeth had. When Eli was seven though, Zee took a specific interest in him and taught him everything about hunting. I knew it probably hurt Olivia when Eli ran to Annabeth to exclaim his joy about learning to climb a tree or shoot, but Olivia never showed signs. She knew who really was his mother, who he loved most.

He was the only child of King Frederick that looked like him. His older children looked like their mother, with grey eyes and curly hair. Eli didn't resemble Olivia in the slightest way in my opinion. Eli had his father's blonde hair, lean body, and dark brown eyes. He was compassionate like his father, but he hadn't gotten to spend as much time with his father like the older children had. But his other traits, like the way he acted older, were things that Annabeth taught him.

As I poured a glass of water, I noticed Annabeth at the edge of the garden, at the archery side.

She stood with her two friends, helping Reyna aim the bow to the target, and Thalia watched Annabeth to see if she was teaching their friend the right thing or getting it completely wrong.

"Don't stare."

Stunned, I looked over to see Jason was getting a glass of water for himself.

I blushed, embarrassed by the fact that it was this obvious.

Did Annabeth know?

Wait, it's _Annabeth._ If she hasn't figured it out yet, she never will.

"How'd you get over it?" I nodded towards Reyna, and he smiled.

"I imagine what I'd do if I caught a boy staring at her," Jason pointed to Thalia, "And I just look away."

I nodded, remembering what I had done to a guy (even though he was twice my age) who had done the same to Rebecca.

"I probably shouldn't do that in front of Zee then."

"Eh, I think you could take Zee," Jason motioned towards Eli who was sharpening a dagger, "You should really be worried about Eli over there."

I smiled and looked back towards the Eli. I brought my glass and a glass to Eli, for three reasons. 1). Get Eli on my side 2). Annabeth would kill me if I let him get dehydrated 3). And I'd be lying if I said I was comfortable with the little boy holding a dagger, even if he was really responsible

I was talking to the little boy (and had him put down the dagger!) when Zee finally returned.

"The funniest thing happened," Zee smiled wide, and a twenty-one year old followed after him.

"He found a swordsman while he was looking for a sword," Nico smiled.

"He's the best in the kingdom," Zee clapped on Nico's back, "If I can't beat you, Percy, I want _someone_ to."

I know Nico a lot, though I hadn't seen him since he joined the Army and became the best soldier there.

A secret son of Hades, we were both sent to the same orphanage. I was adopted early and brought to the castle, but, when his elderly aunt found out he was even born and sent to an orphanage, she raced to get him when he was four. They moved here where she lived, and she told him about her husband who had died in the war. As soon as he was allowed, which was sixteen here, he joined the army.

A year ago, when he was twenty, he became the youngest general in the history of the kingdom, and I had to admit I was proud of him.

Every summer, he worked with Thalia's uncle, and I came just about every summer, so we had sort of become friends.

"Percy," Nico nodded, and I had to admit I was a little hesitant to stand.

"Let's do this," I pulled my sword out of the ground and let my fingers slip into the grooves of the handle.

Nico took the side I had been standing at, and I knew what he was doing.

As we started, I saw that Nico had thought right, and I tried to spend all of my attention on beating Nico. But I kept looking towards Annabeth. I spent a lot of time on defense instead of offense to spin Nico to the other side so I couldn't see Annabeth.

Then I saw Nico freeze.

I remembered that Nico still had a crush on Thalia, but did he still have it?

Before I could beat him, he moved around so that neither of us could see the girls.

_**Annabeth,**_

I watched the women hem at the long wedding gown and stopped the tears.

Azabella watched from a loveseat, and she smiled, almost crying. Her tears were for a different reason than mine. This was the day that her daughter, or her metaphorical daughter, got fitted for wedding dress. This was something that could never done again really, and Azabella was happy to be here for it. She knew I didn't love Luke, but she tried to make me forget it. She reminded me of what my father had made me marry him for.

I would have a comfortable life. My husband would let me run the country, which is what I wanted. I would have a safe home for my future children, even if their father wouldn't exactly be someone I would want them to look up to.

I tried not to think about that and looked back at my reflection.

If it hadn't been for the fact that this was for my wedding, I would have absolutely loved this dress.

It was soft, and the train was going to be long. I had planned my wedding dress to be as much like my mother's as possible now that Olympia was wearing hers. Since it would still be summer, my dress didn't have sleeves. The thick straps were shiny, and the same kind of fabric is wrapped around my torso right underneath the sweetheart neckline. It flowed like a dress that belonged to a goddess, and Azabella was repeatedly telling me how beautiful I looked. But I didn't hear it anymore, I couldn't hear _anything_ over my own thoughts.

Until someone knocked on the door.

"Come in!" I answered, hoping it was my older my sister and not my step-mother.

I was shocked to see Percy in the reflection of the mirror in front of me, and I swear he gasped at the dress, though I couldn't really tell.

"Can I talk to Prince Perseus alone for a minute?" I looked to all three of the women, but I was really asking the one who sat in the corner, Azabella. She nodded gently, and I smiled thanks. They all formally told me goodbye, with the bow and everything, mainly for Percy, and I waited for them to be gone before I turned around so I wouldn't start crying in front of Azabella again.

The door closed, and I took a deep breath of relief.

I turned to look at him, and we didn't say anything. I didn't say anything because I couldn't think of anything to say, and he didn't speak because he was still looking at the dress.

Finally, I couldn't stand it and rushed towards him. Knowing me and how I was, he opened his arms and wrapped them around me as I cried into his chest.

I had known for eight years I was supposed to marry Luke. I had been wearing the anklet for a year, and Olivia had spent the last three months planning my wedding, involving me as well. But it was like a new wound, unable to heal, now that it was actually here. I don't know what I had thought would happen, but I guess I never thought I'd actually have to _marry_ him. I had thought that, being my father's favorite, he would let me out of the agreement.

But I knew now it wasn't all that simple.

"What's wrong?" Percy whispered, seeing I was too upset for the jokes.

I forced myself out of his grasp, mainly forcing myself to get away from him than getting out of his strong grip. I motioned towards the dress.

"The _dress_? Why? You look amazing, better than amazing really."

"No," I shook my head, ignoring the compliment for now, "it's _real_. Everything's _real_. This dress. This anklet," I raised the dress to show my right ankle, "The wedding. The _marriage_. My life from then on. It's real now."

Percy watched me for a long moment, feeling sorry for me. From anyone else, I hated it, but I was fine with it from him, especially with the fact that he knew what I was going through. I didn't like seeing that helpless look in his eyes, trying to think of some way to help me.

It made my pain his, but I worried sometimes that he felt it worse than I did.

I was about to give in to myself and hug him again when someone knocked on the door.

"Annabeth, Darling, we can work on this tomorrow."

"I'll meet you in your room, okay?" Percy smiled at me, trying to cheer me up, and I nodded while wiping away signs of crying for Azabella's sake.

**X**_**XXXXXXXX**_

I stopped pulling my wrap closer around me, like I did when I was upset, and let the sun seep into my skin. If Percy was right about anything, it was about how great my balcony was. He said that it was always the warmest place in the castle, even in the winter, and had views that were legendary.

While I loved the balcony, I loved being here with Percy more. Eveyrone thought it was beautiful, but no one could admire it like Percy could. Not even me, though I had basically chosen this room based on the balcony alone.

"What's my Owl thinking about?" Percy asked jokingly, and I resisted the urge to hit him for the nickname.

He had started calling me that when he found out who my mother was, but it had gotten worse when I wore glasses from the time I was nine to eleven.

"Depressing things."

"Luke?"

"Always."

"Well, it's not just you. I hate thinking about him, too."

Luke and Percy used to be friends, not as close as us, but friends. A few years back, they suddenly couldn't stand each other. I couldn't bring up Percy to Luke or Luke to Percy. Until last year, the subject had been off limits though I didn't know why.

"What do you think he's doing? Luke, I mean?" I smiled as I looked out to the water, "Getting upset as he gets my letter about you being here?"

"_That_," Percy smiled, "And welcoming Katarina and her brother by now."

"Katarina and her brother?" I looked back to Percy.

"Katarina's older brother, William, is best friends with Luke. William is trying to talk Luke's father into letting him marry Luke's sister, with Luke's help of course. Katarina wrote to me, saying she was going along, too," Percy shrugged.

"It's only fair, I guess."

"What's only fair?"

"We're together for the summer, so they're together."

"That should be punishment enough for the two, while we get a good reward"

I smiled and noticed something.

At first, it was the way the sun his Percy's face, making him look like a god.

Then it was the way his green eyes shone brighter than Apollo could ever dare.

It didn't take long until I noticed _everything_ about that moment.

Then I felt something stir inside me.

I didn't know what it was, I had never felt it before. But it took hold of me so fast that I wondered if it was a sickness. It captured every ounce of my being, and it was almost unbearable.

Then the symptoms hit.

Fast hear-beat. Unable to speak. Sudden inability to think about anything but the boy sitting across from me on the balcony. The chills running through my body as if it was a cold December night.

Everything caught me by surprise, but I wasn't sure if I didn't like it.

As I thought about it, I realized just how similar these things were to what Olympia said she felt when she looked at Alexander and how my mother had described being around my father…

_**Percy,**_

I strummed my fingers nervously on my knee while Annabeth picked up a pair of scissors and returned to stand behind me.

I had planned on having anyone else doing it-I repeat, _anyone_- but I didn't have much of a choice. When I went swimming, Eli, like his brother with fencing, was determined to beat me to the bottom and back of the deepest part of the ocean I was allowed to take the little boy. I waited at the bottom, letting him win, and Eli was ecstatic. At the end of the day, I guess that was worth this.

After about two hours of sayin in the water, the two of us got out, and I found that I had an ocean's worth of debris in my hair. My hair wasn't long, but it was about mid-neck, though I knew Annabeth hated that.

Finally, I listened to Eli after I couldn't get the stuff out, and we went to Annabeth. Annabeth got a lot of it all out, but there was one shell (which I wondered if she really couldn't get out or just wanted my hair short) that she couldn't get that was placed in the very center of my hair.

I happily noted that Annabeth's hands were steadier than the last time she had cut my hair, but that wasn't hard to do.

But I still felt that impending doom that some part of my head would be bleeding soon.

I heard the sound of Annabeth opening the blades of the scissors, and I shut my eyes tightly.

I waited for the sudden pain that came from her getting nervous and messing up, but I didn't feel it.

I waited and waited, but it still didn't come.

"And there. This should be long enough for you, maybe_ too _long for me, but enough for you," Annabeth set the scissors down on the table in front of me. She picked up the mirror beside the place where she set the scissors.

She handed it to me, and I first used the mirror to see if there was some injury.

But there was none.

I had to admit that Annabeth was right when she said I'd be happy with how she had done my hair, but I knew Annabeth was lying about it being too long.

"I'm-I'm not hurt," I stuttered out of surprise.

"Thanks, Perce."

"You know that's not what I meant."

"Oh yes it is," she leaned down to be in the reflection of the mirror.

I was stricken speechless from how real her smile was, which I hadn't seen in such a long time, and it brought a warm feeling to my heart.

"Maybe you were wrong about me, Prince Perseus. You might just want to see if all of those doubts of me are still true," Annabeth's eyes sparkled in the summer light, and I couldn't stop staring at her.

I knew that she meant things like how I still believed that she was unable to go a week without reading, or that Annabeth would ever stray from the love she felt for her mother even if she did sometimes blame her for leaving them all.

But I hoped she meant something else, that she could love me, too.

"Maybe…" I stared at her through the reflection.

**So, what is Annabeth feeling? Hmm…looks like we'll just have to see, won't we? And, about Eli, I just did the math in this chapter and realized that he would be nine or younger considering Annabeth was at least eight years older than him. I don't know what I was thinking, but I was being dumb.**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Percy,**_

I followed Annabeth through the garden, only able to see her beauty even though I was surrounded by the gorgeous gardens.

It was the first time that we had really been alone since her brothers and friends got back to the castle, and I was happy for it, even if I was friends with them all.

They were all off with the ones they loved. Reyna and Jason were hunting for the rest of the day, and Nico and Thalia were using the excuse of Nico teaching her battle strategy to see each other. Eli was with his father for the day, Zee was stopping periodically to write to is new fiancé, who he was to marry in another year or so, and Annabeth couldn't stand it because she saw it as him bragging that he was the only one of the children who got to choose his spouse.

And that had gotten me into coming with her to the garden.

Annabeth kept passing spots to sit, and I smiled to myself as I realized exactly where she was going.

"Why do you always go to the same spot, Annabeth?" I smiled as I kept following the blonde.

I caught a glimpse of Annabeth smiling before responding.

"When I was a little girl, my mother would bring me here and read to me or tell me stories about the gods. It's kind of like my escape now."

"Escape? Escape from what?"

Annabeth hesitated before responding.

"Well, what time of my life are you talking about?"

"All of it."

Annabeth seemed to think about it.

I knew Annabeth's life wasn't exactly the happiest, but she always seemed to find something that made everything okay. It was almost contagious the way she did it. She could be seriously injured after falling down, saving her baby brother, and she'd just sigh with relief that the two year old was okay. Annabeth could be faced with anything, and she would hold her head up high and bear through it.

That's why this wedding felt so off for me.

Annabeth couldn't seem to find that silver lining. It was all awful, nothing could be salvaged.

"Well, for the year that my dad wasn't married to Olivia, I used to come here because I missed my mother. After that, it was hating Olivia. And from the time I was fifteen, I was dreading the wedding, I guess."

I nodded and paused.

I wanted to ask about what had happened three nights ago.

It had stayed in my mind, seeing her cry and sneak out to pray to some god, and I had watched every night to see if it would happen again. But it didn't. I waited to see if she ever let it slip so that I could ask or if she told me. But she never did. And I was getting so curious.

"What were you escaping three nights ago?"

Annabeth stopped in the middle of the pathway, almost making me run into her.

Her obvious shock made it clear that she hadn't known that I knew about that, whatever it was.

"How did you know about that?"

"Couldn't sleep, and I came out on the balcony. My room overlooks the-"

"Gardens," Annabeth finished, nodding her head like she should have known.

"Yeah," I nodded, too, and I waited for an explanation.

"Well," Annabeth didn't even turn around to look at me, "I just felt like praying."

Annabeth started to walk away, but I didn't believe her.

I grabbed her wrist and pulled her back, not hard so that it hurt but enough that she would come back and tell me the truth.

"You haven't lied to me since we were eight. Why start now?" I stared directly into her grey eyes, and I didn't let go of her wrist.

Annabeth continued to look into my eyes as she contemplated whether it was worth it or not to lie to me. I didn't know what she was thinking, but I knew that she was perfectly still, other than maybe blinking a few times.

"I don't love Luke, I don't even _like_ him. But I have to marry him. I _have_ to. When I was a little girl, people told me that I could do anything. Anything I wanted, and I see that they meant anything I wanted, _except_ marry who I want to want. I don't know what to do, and I came to pray to my mother for wisdom."

I didn't know what to do.

Well, I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to tell her that everything was going to be okay and to make her believe it. I wanted to hug her and kiss her and make her know without a shadow of a doubt that _someone_ here loved her, that someone hated her marriage more than she did.

But I couldn't do that.

"Doesn't it ever hurt you? Knowing you don't love Katarina but you have to marry her?" Annabeth asked.

_Every single day._

I nodded.

"That's it, I guess. But I think you'll be happy."

_As if…_

"Why do you think that?"

"You'll be king, and, even though Katarina is sort of marrying you for your looks, by the time you lose your bloom, she'll have lost her. So, you won't have to worry about infidelity."

"But you will," I meant it as a question, but it wasn't. I had seen it first hand, even _before_ he was married to Annabeth. And it had been with his best friend's sister even. Annabeth didn't just need to worry about infidelity, she will need to accept it. She will need to hide it from her children, and she will have to pretend that she doesn't feel like Luke did her the greatest injustice. He forced her to marry him, and now he couldn't even hold to vows.

Annabeth nodded, and I couldn't bear that look in her eyes, that look of pure helplessness.

I had to bite my tongue not to close the very short distance and kiss her, and I still almost did.

_**Annabeth,**_

Even after an emotional confrontation between me and Percy, making us just stare at each other for what felt like hours before we finally moved from the gardens, I hadn't been ready to leave Percy. Not today, not yet.

I understood why I barely had anytime to see him. Not only was I getting married in a few months, but my older sister was getting married even sooner. And my father was still pressured with a possible war with the country beyond Luke's kingdom, and that meant coming to me to help him.

I was needed elsewhere, but I really only wanted to be beside Percy.

My two brothers weren't helping with what little time I had with him. They always seemed to be with him, training or hunting or something boyish. And I wasn't allowed in for things like this, it was just the silent rule we all had. Even teaching Reyna archery, which always proved interesting, and eating Azabella's famous desserts didn't satisfy me. I wanted to see Percy, even if it meant watching him almost pass out as I tried to cut his hair.

Today seemed like the only day that I could spend time with Percy, and I didn't plan on losing one single minute.

That's why I was wagering something I hated to risk

The wrath of Azabella.

"Goodnight, Annabeth," Azabella kissed the top of my head after tucking me in like I was a little girl.

Usually, I would have had her leave earlier, before I even got into bed, but I understood why she wanted to see me now. I wasn't her little girl anymore, and, as proof of that, I was getting married. Azabella would of course come with me, but she would never get to tuck me in and kiss me goodnight again. These precious few months meant more to Azabella than they did to me. They were my last days of freedom, but they were her last days of me as her baby girl.

"Goodnight, Azabella," I smiled at her as I laid my head on the pillow. She blew out a candle and took another with her as she left, leaving me with only the moon for light.

I waited and waited until I knew Azabella would be in her room.

I felt guilty as I crept out of bed. I felt almost as if I was disrespecting Azabella, leaving the bed when she had tucked me in to stay. If there was anything I hated, it was lying to Azabella.

Azabella was the closest thing to a mother that I had since my mother was called back. Azabella came to work for us when I was three, because my mother knew that her time was running short with us, and she wanted us to have someone close when she left. Azabella was mid-thirties when this happened. She had never had a child, she was unable, and she had lost her love in the war. Azabella was a friend of the family's already, and she was happy to help out my mother.

I still remembered Azabella with her wiry black hair falling into my face as she sung me to sleep after my mother left. I couldn't sleep at all back then, I always had nightmares about my mother. And, as Azabella sung her soft lullaby, I promised myself that I would never let her down, that I would love her unconditionally and that I would make her happy.

But I wouldn't make her happy if she knew what I was doing.

Azabella was a mother to us all. Olympia and Zee especially needed a mother, and Azabella was there for them, loving them more than any of us could ever know she loved us. We all loved her, even Eli whose real mother was still there. But the bond I had with Azabella was something special, something that couldn't be forged on purpose. It just happened, and we all knew it was there. Azabella was mine, in a way. And I was undoubtedly hers.

I tried not to think of Azabella as I changed out of my nightgown and into another thing Azabella wouldn't like. She thought it was unbecoming for a princess to wear slacks, but I did it anyway. I slid a grey dress that went about mid-thigh over the black leggings, and I reached for a black leather belt to tighten around my waist. I left my long blonde hair in its braid and began to lace up my sandals.

I knew the corridor well, but I would still need a light so I wouldn't get hurt with another person there. So, I went to light a candle.

By the time that I had all of this done, I knew that Percy wouldn't just be waiting but that he'd be getting impatient.

I was quick but quiet, just in case my big brother next door was listening out for me tonight, and I tried not to see it in the way Olivia would see me sneaking out, or how my brother would worry it was.

But I couldn't help but see it like that. It was all I could think of after that thing happened. I didn't know what to call it, but I knew that it had changed the dynamic of my friendship with Percy. No matter how much I tried, I knew that wasn't brotherly love. That feeling swelling in my chest had been _love_, the kind that my sister felt for Alex or my mother for my father. But I didn't know what to do about it.

I felt guilty for seeing Percy like that. I was like his sister, and I was thinking of him like _that?_ Especially now, when our weddings are coming closer and closer, and he is betrothed to such a jealous girl, who is worried that someone will try to steal her gorgeous soon-to-be husband.

I forced those thoughts out of my head and squeezed through the opening in my closet to the hallway, where Percy stood.

He smiled at me, and I had to admit that he looked even more handsome in the candle light, and that was pretty hard to do. He held a candle as he leaned on the wall next to the entrance from his room, and he had a bag on his back, the one that I had told him to pack when we had decided to do this.

Any worries about consequences or sudden urges to call it all off slipped away as his smile widened, and his eyes sparkled.

_**Percy,**_

I continued to try to make a fire while Annabeth looked around again.

This time she said she was looking for Thalia, saying she remembered that she sometimes went hunting at night to test her endurance.

Last time she said that she was looking for Jason.

And the time before that it was Reyna because she lived nearby the edge of the woods and beach that we had set up camp.

I knew she was nervous, and I had to remind myself that this was the first time in years that Annabeth had snuck out of the castle with someone. I did it all the time, well usually alone, but I was known to climb out of my window and go to the rolling fields, where I could see the slight bit of ocean our kingdom overlooked.

Annabeth would leave for the garden, never this far away. She was always within reach of the passage to get back to her room just in case something happened.

The fire started, making me smile, and I stood. When Annabeth spent more than her usual three minutes looking around, I turned to smile at her.

"No one is here, Annabeth."

"I know, I know," Annabeth waved me off.

"Then why are you still looking?" I smirked.

Annabeth turned back to look at me again, and she smiled apologetically.

"I'm a worry-wart," Annabeth shrugged, like it was undeniable, and I simply smiled.

That happened to be one of the things I loved most about her.

"I know," I nodded.

"I know," she pushed a chunk of hair that had fell of her braid behind her ear, and she came to stand by the fire. But I knew she was still nervous.

"We can go back, you know."

She looked back, asking what I meant.

"To the castle, I mean. If you're so nervous."

Annabeth was quick to shake her head.

"No, no, I'm fine. I really am. I just need to calm down," Annabeth smiled, and I nodded, really not wanting to leave her either.

After a while of mindless talking, we started to talk about our past. It was the first time that our marriages weren't hanging over our heads, and I didn't want to leave that moment. I wanted to forever live here, with Annabeth, and never leave. I never wanted to be found, just to stay here.

"Do you remember the time you climbed to the top of those rocks and got stuck?" I pointed towards the cliffs of rocks towards the back of the island.

"Of course," Annabeth was lying beside me by now, staring at up at the stars, "Azabella passed out, and Olympia had to take care of her. You seemed to be the only calm one."

"I wasn't calm," I almost laughed as I started to stroke Annabeth's hair, "Not in the slightest. I was scared to death. So scared that I could barely move. I had to keep myself occupied so that I wouldn't end up like Azabella."

"You were?" Annabeth seemed to smile at the thought of that, and she leaned closer to me.

"Completely," I smiled though just the memory made my chest constrict, and I realized that I still felt that worry for her today.

"I was scared when you went to the last battle of the war," Annabeth snuggled closer to me, and I knew the one she was talking about. My father knew that a war was almost over, but it wasn't over yet. My mother had been against it, but I had enlisted to join. My father was worried but proud all in the same. He hesitantly let me go, even on the front lines. I had written to Annabeth before I had gone, and she was informed by my sister, Rebecca.

"You were?" I couldn't help but smile though I didn't know why.

Annabeth just nodded, and I kept thinking about that as we changed our conversation.

_**XXXXXXXXX**_

_I smiled, almost crying as I looked at Annabeth walking down the aisle. She was so beautiful, and that smile made my heart warm. It was a smile that I gave her a million times, it showed just how happy she was to marry me. She walked down the aisle with her father, and there was a great crowd. But I didn't even notice them all. I couldn't stop staring at Annabeth._

_The music continued, and I let it all sink it._

_Annabeth loved me, and I was marrying her._

_Our future life flashed in front of my eyes._

_Becoming king. Having her beside me, not letting me make a mistake, as I decided things for my country. Having children, being a family. Growing up to see our children get married, in which they could choose their spouse by the way. Meeting our grandchildren. Watching our son or daughter become king or queen, and growing old together._

_It was too much to take, and my happiness was about to bubble over to a point where I could scream._

_Annabeth continued to smile at me as she finished her walk down the aisle. Her father kissed her cheek and removed the veil from her face. He squeezed her hand one last time before going away, and she took the final two steps to be in front of me._

_But then it faded. I was standing in the pew, watching the wedding, and Luke was the one at the altar with Annabeth. My feelings had changed._

_I was sick as I thought about Annabeth's future and mine. My pain was so overpowering that I wanted to die, and I couldn't look away from the ceremony where the love of my life was marrying my arch enemy. I couldn't look away from everything in front of me, though with every second my torture became worse and worse. I didn't think my heart could hurt as it beat, but it did, and my breath was continuously knocked out of me._

"_You may kiss the bride."_

_No._

_No._

_No!_

_This-this can't be. She doesn't love him, and he doesn't love her._

_I was too late. I should have kissed her, I should have told her. I shouldn't have waited!_

_As I sat there, watching in slow motion as they leaned in for the kiss, all of the moments where I should have told Annabeth of how I felt flashed before my eyes._

_Every single moment from the time I had accepted how I felt to this second where I could have told her, where the moment was right but I didn't have the courage. _

_And then, as soon as the moments stopped tormenting me, the kiss happened. His lips met hers, and I couldn't hold back my scream in revolt._

"Annabeth."

I was breathing heavily, and it took a long time before I could open my eyes.

I sighed with relief as I saw that it was still the night where I had snuck off with Annabeth. It was at least two in the morning, and the fire was basically dead by now. Annabeth was safe and asleep in my arms, her hair spilling onto my chest.

I smiled and began to kiss Annabeth. From the top of her head to her lips, I kissed her, happy to know that the evil day hadn't come yet. Annabeth was still mine, and I was still hers. I cried, but I continued to kiss her, whispering "I love you."

For a moment, I thought I saw her eyes half-open for a split second, but the next millisecond, her eyes were still closed. And I brushed it off.

Finally, I stopped kissing her and rested my head back on the bag I had been using before, and I tightened my grip around Annabeth as I fell back asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Annabeth,**_

"What was your mom like?" my little Eli asked me as I continued to stroke his blonde hair.

You know how there is always someone who you love more than anything else in the entire world, that person who could never do wrong in your eyes? That was Eli for me. I mean, I loved my friends, and I loved my family and everything. But I saw their flaws, like how Reyna can be annoying about trying to prove that I like Percy. I couldn't seem to see Eli's, he was forever that little baby who used to giggle every time I held him, opposed to how he cried with Olivia.

I guess it's because he's more of my son than my brother. Azabella was busy with three children already, and Olympia took a lot of her time because she just couldn't be made into the princess Azabella knew she had to be. And Olivia didn't know how to raise a child. It just wasn't Olivia. She didn't know how to figure out that Eli would go to sleep faster if you gave him a certain doll at night. She couldn't understand that he would always change his hair back if you tried to straighten it, making it not worth it to try.

I saw all of that, and I was happy to have Eli around.

Eli, the little sweetheart, liked to come in my room. He did that a lot when he was younger, claiming that there were monsters lurking and I used to lie to him that he was wrong, but he had sort of outgrown it by now. But he had gotten right back into the habit these last few months. Eli was fine until he first saw me trying on a wedding dress, and, when he asked why his sister was wearing a white dress, Olivia explained proudly that I was going to get married in this dress and move away.

_See_? I told you she didn't know how to raise a kid.

That night, Eli came crying to my room, and it took an hour to get his tears to stop and coax the little boy into sleeping.

After that, he came in every few nights.

I smiled down at the nine year old boy, who was curled around me in my bed.

I didn't lie to him, I didn't see much of a point. So, he knew things about my mother. Things that kind of showed who she was, even if he was much too young to quite understand what it all meant yet. I didn't care if he figured out, it's not like it was a secret in this castle. We all know who our original queen was, even if those outside don't.

"Well, Eli," I began, "She was great. She looked just like me, except she had brown hair like Ollie-"

Ollie is what Eli calls Olympia.

"- She used to read to me when I was a little girl, all the time."

"Like you do with me," Eli looked up at me with that adorable smile.

"Exactly like that, Eli," I brushed more of his blonde hair out of his deep brown eyes.

"What happened to her, Annabeth?" Eli asked me as he looked back down at the book I held in my hands, and I hesitated.

I wanted my father to be the one who told him about my mom, not me, so I edited it a little bit.

"She was from a different world in a way, and, though she loved us so much, she was forced to leave, Sweetheart."

"Do you miss her?"

"Yeah, yeah, I do," I nodded and decided that I needed to keep this upbeat because Eli had enough to be sad about, "_But_ something good _did_ come out of it."

Eli looked up at me, silently asking the question I was waiting for.

"Dad met Olivia, and they fell in love-"

Well, they didn't _hate_ each other.

"-And they got married. And about a year later, I got a baby brother named Eli. And I wouldn't trade that for the world."

Eli smiled and wrapped his arms around my torso, and I leaned down to kiss the top of his head.

I was happy about the life Eli would live. The rest of us were held to responsibilities. Olympia was marrying Prince Alexander and becoming Queen of his kingdom to continue a truce between the countries, but luckily they fell in love as well. I was marrying Prince Lucas to help his country, who would have an awful king, and to _start_ a truce. Zee, not bound in a marriage, had to run a country starting the day he turned twenty-one, when my father planned to retire, and he could only get out of that through death.

Eli wasn't bound by any of these things. He would be eleven when our father stepped down as king, and they would continue to live in the castle, just maybe in a different wing. He would be around for Zee's children, and, if even if Eli wanted, he could move in with either Olympia or me. As he got older, he could marry a princess and become a king in some far off land, but I saw him staying here, marrying a beautiful girl that he loved more than anything and raising a family, teaching them all the things his siblings taught him.

I wanted one of us to have a good life, and Eli was probably the most deserving.

"I love you, Eli," I smiled and watched as he started to fall asleep, and I craned over to blow out the last candle.

"_I love you, Annabeth," Luke kissed the side of my head, and I told him the same, but I didn't mean it in anyway. I didn't hate him just yet, but I resented him._

_I resented that he was a little _too_ good at kissing. I resented that he called me "Annie" when I told him I hated being called that. I resented the way that he sounded hollow as he told me he loved me, and I resentenced the fact that he was the reason we were in this marriage, though he didn't even slightly love me._

_Now, I _hated_ the fact that_ I_ didn't love him._

_He left the bedroom, though it was still early morning, and I went back to the mirror. I took a long good look at myself, forcing it in my mind that this was actually my life. That I was contemplating whether I loved my husband or not._

_How had I gotten here? I used to be so happy, with my life oh so far away. I had a loving family and amazing friends. But I was far away from both, I now had a different life. I was a queen of a kingdom, and, though I loved helping the citizens, I felt a gloom set over me because of my husband. I didn't get along with my husband in any way, and I only really had Azabella to console me._

_After a while, I forced myself out of the trance and went through a door through a hallway to another door. It was a short walk to another room with the same grand door, and I smiled just being there, not even in the room yet. I had feeling that this was the place that made everything okay, that made an awful marriage and missing Percy survivable. I had a feeling that this was my saving grace. _

_Azabella sat rocking a baby, about one or younger, and she looked up at me._

"_Here's Mommy, Luca," Azabella and I met half-way, and my smile widened as I took the baby._

"_How's my little boy?" I hugged him tighter, and I kissed his cheek._

"_He's been an angle, which makes me wonder. Are you_ sure_ Lucas is his father?" Azabella asked me, clearly kidding, and I laughed loudly, showing me how much I craved to laugh._

"_Of course Luke is his father. Isn't that right, Luca?" I smiled proudly at me son, and he gurgled happily at me._

"_Ma Ma."_

_I stared at the baby in disbelieve, and Azabella gasped._

"_Lucas just said his first words!"_

"_Go get his father," I told Azabella, and she nodded quickly before running off to get Luke. I continued to hug my son and praise him for his first words, and I was hugging him tightly, with my eyes shut, when the door creaked open._

_When I opened my eyes, everything was different._

_The baby in my arms was a little girl, with bouncy blonde curls, and there was a little baby boy, probably her twin, playing on the floor beside my feet. The sun was brighter here, and I didn't have that sickness that came with having to tell Luke that I loved him._

"_Did Elpida say her first words?"_

_Percy._

_Wait, _Percy.

_Percy took the baby girl from my arms, and I felt pride swarm inside with something else mixed in. I knew that these three people, that little baby in the crib, Elpida, and Percy were my favorite people in the world. I knew that I loved them more than anything I had ever felt, except for maybe that motherly feeling I felt for Eli. And I loved it, especially compared to how I had felt for Luke only moments ago._

"_It's Philia's turn now," I smiled as I looked between the baby in the crib and Percy, who looked exactly alike I might add._

"_Looks like Elpida lucked out over here, Philia," Percy picked up the other baby, "They got the brains. But we still got the looks."_

_I laughed and smiled at my husband._

"_I still love you though, Philia. And, you, too, Elpida," Percy walked the short distance to me, "And you, too, Annabeth._

I woke up just as Percy was kissing me in the dream.

I took a few long deep breaths to control my fast breathing, and I pulled myself up the bed to put my head in my hands.

How many times I had this dream?

Three? Four times?

I don't know, I just know I awake with the same feeling.

It feels wrong to dream of being so happy with Percy when he's a _friend_, to dream of marrying him, to dream of having _his children._ Percy doesn't dream of that, and he wouldn't think to. Why am I?

At least I didn't awake from this dream to another dream like I did the first time I had this dream.

Thalia knew about the dream where I suddenly morphed into being married to Percy instead of Percy, but I didn't dare tell _anyone_ about the other dream. It was too personal. At least the other dream wasn't realistic, but this one was exactly like I was living it. Like it was all really happening. And it was so deep that I only one person to tell this to, and the dream was about _him._

In my entire life, I had never had a dream like this. It had never been so real.

_I woke up lightly, and Percy was beside me in the woods. The fire was dying out, but the moon was so bright tonight that it didn't matter. Percy was panting, with his eyes closed, and he finally opened them. He seemed to be overjoyed with the fact that I was here, that I was asleep in his mussled arms._

_For a while, I thought I was awake. I was about to open my eyes, _really open my eyes_ I mean. But then he kissed me, and I froze. He kissed me lightly and quickly on my lips before kissing the rest of my face. He whispered "I love you" repeatedly, like he was worried that he wouldn't wake up here. That I'd be gone._

_I blinked my eyes open for one second, but he didn't notice. Before I could really have my eyes open, he kissed me really. His kiss was long and passionate, and I closed my eyes, unable to think. I couldn't move, I couldn't even kiss back. All I knew was that this was undoubtedly the best kiss ever._

_**Percy,**_

I bit my tongue not to ask Zee if his sister had said anything about being mad at me. I had already asked Reyna, Jason, Thalia, and especially Eli. And I knew that Zee would just throw that dagger he was toying with at me if I asked him too. Plus, I knew how I got when Jonah, a boy who used to have a crush on Rebecca until they became just friends, when he used to ask me repeatedly if Rebecca was mad at him or something.

Annabeth hadn't talk to me much, and she would never be around me alone.

I didn't know what had happened, and I couldn't think of anything.

Annabeth was known for getting mad, but she always had a reason, even if it was barely one.

I couldn't see _anything_ this time.

I'd be lying if I hadn't spent forever trying to work it out.

"You okay, Perce?"

"Hmm?" I asked as I looked up at Zee, Nico, and Jason.

"Annabeth?"

"What?"

"He said, are you upset because of my sister?"

I looked over at Zee, a shiver running down my spine.

"No," I was quick to get his glares off of me, "Just thinking."

"About?" Jason challenged.

"I don't know. Things," I shrugged, silently imagining how I'd kill Jason.

"Really?" Jason raised his eyebrows in a questioning way, but Zee cut him off.

"Great, now you've got Nico doing it, too," Zee pushed Nico off the bench.

"What the Hades was that for!" Nico asked as he hit the ground, and Zee laughed, almost making him fall off the bench, too.

"What were you thinking about? Which girl?" Jason asked, laughing, and it took every ounce in my body not to point out that Nico was thinking of Jason's _sister_. Of course, I was the only one who seemed to have made the connections, so Zee wasn't going to blab.

I looked at Nico, and it became a silent agreement that I wouldn't say anything about Thalia if he wouldn't say anything about Annabeth.

Sometimes, it was nice to have Nico around. Jason knew what it was like to like a girl when he couldn't tell her, but neither of the two boys knew what it was quite like with Nico and me. I couldn't be with Annabeth thanks to Luke, but not even I knew what was up with Nico and Thalia.

They were both head over heels for each other, we _all_ knew that.

But Thalia and Nico both had their pasts, pasts where they had given up on love.

Thalia wouldn't tell me what would happen, and I knew that I was never to learn that. I also knew that seeing his aunt, who was so pained by the death of her husband, had made Nico skeptical about marriage. I'm guessing seeing men die, leaving widows behind, made marriage something unattainable for him. I'm not sure I blamed either of them, but I did sort of get annoyed with the fact that they _wouldn't_ get together instead of couldn't.

"I wasn't thinking about anyone. I'm just tired," Nico answered as he pulled himself up and went over to sit by me on the grass, purposely saying far away from the two boys who would hurt him.

"You went home so early last night, why so tired?" Jason asked as he took Nico's old seat on the bench beside Zee.

Nico froze, and I instantly knew that this involved Thalia. I wanted to bail him out, but I had nothing. So, I just sat there, knowing that Nico was going to do the same later.

"I was working pretty late."

"_Working_? What the Hades were you working on?" Zee asked me, laughing like it was just a big joke.

"Well," Nico ruffled his hair again, "I was working with Thalia, and she kept trying to teach me how to throw a dagger."

"How long did that take?" I was sure to speak up before Jason could beat the Hades out of Jason.

"I don't know. A long time. I basically fell asleep on the grass after I finally threw the knife right. Barely made it home, but Thalia didn't seem tired. So, it couldn't have been too late," Nico shrugged, obviously happy that I had saved him.

"I can't throw at all," I interjected before anyone else could respond, "It would have taken me to daylight."

"Really, you'd think you'd be pretty good at it, Perce," Zee began, and Nico smiled at the fact that the subject had been officialy changed.

And that continued until our conversation came to who was going to get the swords.

And I lost.

The boys continued to talk, with Nico smiling like it was birthday because Jason hadn't killed him yet, while I got up. I wasn't sure if I should be happy about the fact that I was getting away from them, meaning I wouldn't slip up later, or the fact that I was stuck doing the thing that cost effort. Either way, I was up, and I was doing it.

I took my own sweet time getting to the Arena, or the training area where Zee always kept the weapons, and I let myself really think.

Purposely, I didn't think of why Annabeth was so mad at me. It wouldn't do any good anyway. Annabeth had reasons, but she was a million times smarter than me, other than of course girl logic which will never make any sense to me anyway. I'd only find out why she was mad if she w_anted_ me to know why she was mad. And she _didn't_ want me to know right now.

"_Shhh!_"

I whipped my head around the corner to look at who had said that, and there the three girls stood.

Annabeth looked like she was about to kill the person closest, which was Reyna. And Thalia was smart enough to stay far, far away.

"Oh come on, they're far away, Annabeth," Reyna waved her off, and I pulled myself back to where I could hear them but not be seen by them.

"_Still_," Annabeth hissed.

"Anyway, why are we here? What's so important?"

Annabeth didn't answer.

"Annabeth had a dream last night."

"A _dream_?" Reyna sounded skeptical about this being so important. I had to admit that I would have been on Reyna's side had I not known about how Annabeth was about her dreams. It was a Greek thing, something she had inherited from her mother I suppose.

Annabeth took her dreams seriously, _especially_ the ones she didn't like. When we were younger, we could sort of see the future. We could anticipate who we were going to have to kill, and we knew how we were going to need to protect our families. As we got older, our dreams started to change. We were given a pass. Athena gave her family a blessing for protection, and my father blessed me and my family. So, our dreams ended like that.

Now, we just got the real dreams. The normal ones, but Annabeth still took the dreams insanely serious.

"Tell her, Annabeth," Thalia urged.

And she did.

And I couldn't get myself to move as I listened.

And I silently gasped with every word.

"You were married to _Percy_? And had a _kid_?" Reyna questioned at the end.

"Two, they were twins."

"But you were also married to Luke?"

"No, no, it was weird. It was like showing two different lives. I was miserable with Luke, and I was…."

"_Happy with Percy_?"

"Yes," Annabeth seemed ashamed to admit it.

_Hey!_

"And that's not all of it, tell her the dream you had after that, Annabeth," Thalia urged once more.

"Well, Percy and I snuck out of the castle one night to look at the stars-"

_Yeah right_.

"and we fell asleep. That's when I first had the dream, about being married to Percy and everything. Then, it was like I woke up to another dream."

"Another dream?"

"Percy was freaking out, probably a nightmare, and I was kind of waking up. I was about to open my eyes and check on him, make sure he was okay and everything. Then he kissed me."

"He…kissed you? When you were asleep? That's _not _creepy _at all_…"

Leave it to Reyna for the sarcasm.

"So, I knew I must be in a dream. And I couldn't move, I was so shocked. He kept whispering that he loved me, like he was worried that I wouldn't be there when he woke up. And then he kissed me again, and it was weird."

"He kissed you while you were asleep and kept saying I love you, and this part is weird?"

"It was _the_ kiss."

"_The kiss_?" Thalia was the one to question it this time.

"Yeah, you know how there is that kiss when you love someone. That kiss that is just so absolutely perfect, where you can still feel it when you close your eyes. It was that kiss."

The girls heard someone walking around nearby and quickly scurried off to talk somewhere else, and I fell to the ground.

She knew.

Well, she didn't _know_ per say.

She still thought it was a dream, but she had been awake when I kissed her.

I started to worry that Thalia would blab that Annabeth might have been awake. That I _did_ love her, and that I probably _did_ do that.

But, as I sat there, I thought of my own dream. My dream where I had lost Annabeth for good, where I had missed my opportunity. Where I had never even tried to get Annabeth to see me, to plead that Luke release her from the engagement. I thought about that feeling, that overwhelming pain, as I thought that I had lost Annabeth, that she was married to Luke. I thought about that feeling of pure happiness as Annabeth woke up in my arms, not with me but not married to Luke either.

Would it be so bad if Annabeth found out?

I thought about it, and I thought about what Annabeth was thinking about right now.

How was she feeling about the dream? About being married to me with two kids and being extremely happy? Would she ever want that for real, not just for a dream? Did she realize that maybe, just maybe, she loved me, even if it was only a quarter of how much I love her?

I put my head in my hands and waited.

I knew Annabeth well enough to know that she'd want to ignore this, to pretend it never happened and to stay just friends. But this _was_ our last summer. Things are different, priorities are changing, and Annabeth's thinking seems to be changing with them…

I didn't know how much time had passed since I had left the other boys, but it must have been a long time because Nico was coming my way.

"There are you are!" Nico came faster towards me, "We've all been looking for you."

I didn't say anything.

"What's wrong?"

I looked up at Nico, and I began to explain.

_**Just so you don't think that I randomly made up names for the twins, here is what their names means. **_

_**Philia- Greek word for Friendship/Love (Name of Percy and Annabeth's son in the dream)**_

_**Elpida- Greek word for Hope (Name of Percy and Annabeth's daughter in the dream)**_


	7. Chapter 7

**Percy,**

"So, are you going to tell her?"

I stared at Nico for a long time.

Should I tell Annabeth that it had happened? Should I tell her about my dream, where I lost her forever?

It'd earn me a good punch, but she would then now how I feel. And she could maybe even feel the same way.

But what if she didn't?

I would lose her forever in much worse way. If she were to marry Luke, I could see her every year or so and maybe more as Luke lessened his grip on Annabeth. But, if I were to tell her that I loved her and she were to tell me the opposite, she wouldn't see me anymore. I would be without Annabeth forever.

"I don't know," I finally shrugged, and Nico looked out to the sky one more time. I knew that Zee and Jason would be mad that we had both wondered off, but I didn't much care.

"So, why were you kissing her in her sleep? That's just weird!"

"I did not kiss her in her sleep really! It's not as creepy as it sounds. I kissed her cheek like twice, okay. Then, maybe for a millisecond, her lips. So, calm down," I picked up a nearby rock and threw it off in the distance.

"Hey, that's more of a kiss than I've got with Thalia. Not judging," Nico raised his hands in surrender, and I decided to look away from him and to leave the matter alone for now.

After a long while, Nico spoke up.

"What do you think her dream meant?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The one with you and her. Where she was married to you, and you had the twins. Elpida and Philia. Where she said she felt so happy. What do you think it meant?" Nico asked.

I let myself think it over.

We were demigods, and we could see the future sometimes. Could this be one of those times? Showing her the life she could live for whatever choice she could make? Or was it just a dream for cold feet?

I knew exactly what my dream meant, but Annabeth had always been more complicated than me. Her dreams had some deep special meaning that only Annabeth could understand, or Azabella. But I didn't want to test the waters with Azabella. The backstory alone could anger her, much less the second dream where I actually _did_ kiss Annabeth.

"I don't know."

"Didn't you say you had a dream like it?"

"Sort of. I mean, it was a different dream. But the same sort of things happened," I shrugged, not sure why I didn't want to tell Nico. I had already told him so many worse things, but somehow, this felt so personal. It was something I would only tell Annabeth, but I couldn't do that. And I needed _someone_ to tell.

"What happened?"

"I was at a wedding, being the groom. And the bride came into the room, about to walk down the aisle," I began.

"Annabeth?" Nico questioned, and I nodded yes.

"She was coming down the aisle, and she had this smile. Like she was happy to be marrying me, like she loved me too. Then her father took his seat down, and Annabeth came to stand in front of me. And it faded."

"It faded?"

"The groom became Luke, and I was sitting in the pews. And I felt so sick. As the wedding continued, I saw our entire friendship. I saw every moment where I could of told Annabeth how I felt but didn't have the nerve. And the dream ended when they said 'I do'," I told him as I continued to stare at the sun.

It was such a beautiful day, but I couldn't seem to enjoy it anymore. Not after hearing what Annabeth had to say.

"Don't you think it's weird? That you both basically had the _same dream_? The _same night_? Do you think it's a sign?"

"What do you mean? A sign?"

Nico pointed towards the sky, and I immediately understood.

"I've never quite been in their favor. I'm not sure they'd take the time to do this. Especially since this seems like it'd come from Athena. And Athena _hates_ me," I explained as I thought about how scared I got when I saw an owl.

"But Athena loves her daughter. And maybe she thinks she'd be happy with you, no matter who your father is."

I stared at Nico for a long time.

"Was it just me, Nico, or did you just make _sense_?"

"Shut up."

_**Annabeth,**_

I tried not to stare, but it was becoming almost impossible with every passing second.

And it wasn't helping any that he was staring at me.

I knew I shouldn't be wasting any of my fleeting time with Percy, dream or no dream. But it was so hard to be next to him while I still thought of that dream. I had tried and tried to be around him. But then I'd look at him, with that handsome face of his, and I'd remember how much elation I had felt when I saw him in that dream. And I couldn't seem to talk to him the way I used to. I just seemed cold and distant.

It was better to just stay away than to disrespect our age old friendship like that.

Finally the end of dinner came, and I silently sighed with relief.

_Finally!_

My father excused us all, asking for a private audience with Olivia, which meant something was wrong. And we quickly scattered.

My siblings quickly went towards the corridor that lead to their rooms, I'm guessing taking Percy with them, but I went to the other door. I went to the door that led to the Ocean.

I used to be afraid of the water. It was only natural because of who my mother was, but Poseidon seems to have forgiven me for who my mother is, which is more than I can say for Athena. Basically the only reason I haven't gone mad is that son of Poseidon I love so, but my mother still hates him.

When I got deeper into the garden, I kicked off my shoes and just walked around for what could have been either hours or only minutes. I was too distracted to think of the time. Time was exactly what I hated.

It was time that was working against me. Time had taken me and made me grow u. With each inch I grew and each night Azabella read me a bedtime story, I was getting closer and closer to Luke, to the sad life I was going to have to live. The life where I would lose everything I held dear, my kingdom, my family, my friends…._Percy._

I began to wonder what it had been that had made Percy and Luke hate each other for so long.

Until last year, I was not allowed to bring up Prince Lucas to Percy, and Luke freaked out if I brought up Percy around him. No one would ever explain it to me. Rebecca, who seemed to know, told me that basically it was the same as they had always had been, trying to beat out the other. When I asked what they were fighting for, Rebecca simply shrugged as if it didn't matter.

I unbraided my hair and went to the old wall, blocking the ocean from the castle, where I used to come with Percy.

Thanks to the recent practice Percy had put me through, I climbed the call with ease, and I was about to get down from the wall and go to the water when I saw something that made me freeze.

"Percy."

He threw a nearby rock into the placid ocean and watched as it disappeared into a breaking wave. His pants had been rolled up, with his feet soaking wet and covered in sand. And he didn't seem to notice me.

Yet.

I was mentally screaming at myself to move, to get off the wall and go back to the Castle.

But I couldn't move.

I was frozen sitting on the wall, knowing that I was about to be spotted.

And then he turned away from the water to go back to the Castle.

He seemed just as shocked as me, maybe more, when he saw me sitting up on the wall.

For a long time, an _unbearably long time_, we stared at each other. It felt like hours until Percy finally waved awkwardly.

I felt like an idiot, but I waved the same rigid wave that Percy had done.

Then another awkward silence.

After probably contemplating whether turning around and running away would work out or not, Percy finally decided to come to the wall. I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about jumping down and running back to my room, where I'd lock every door to stop any chance of having to see Percy soon. But I stood my ground.

Well, I couldn't move even if I wanted to.

But some could call that standing my ground.

When Percy got to the wall, we still kept staring at each other.

Then he climbed up on the wall, where he sat less than two centimeters away from me, but we still continued to sit in silence.

I had been through a lot of pain in my life.

But nothing seemed to compare to just sitting there. It felt like disrespecting our life together, our friendship. These two centimeters that used to be too much space for us was just even more of a reminder. It hurt the memories of who we used to be, who we had been just a short time ago.

It made my stomach feel hollow, and I suddenly wanted to hug him.

"I don't know why you're mad."

I could tell from his voice that he was lying about that part.

"But can we get over it?"

The urge to hug him became stronger.

"Yeah," I nodded, blocking that dream from my memories.

Percy smiled, and I savored the moment where the fog lifted. Where the small space between us become too much. Where I could suddenly talk to him. And I didn't even get mad at myself when I blushed as Percy's fingers brushed over mine.

I thought about Luke, oh so far away. And I wanted to scream as I thought about Katarina.

Day by day, I had felt anger build for Katarina until I had full-force hatred for the beautiful girl.

"How much time do we have left? Until you have to leave? And we have to get _married_," I crossed my arms and squeezed my eyes closed.

"Not long enough," Percy decidedly didn't look at me.

"A month, right?"

"Yeah, I think so."

I waited before talking again.

"So, we're wasting time?"

I had two meanings for that.

The first was the one I accepted, silently daring him to jump in the ocean.

The second was the one I would_ never_ accept, the one I would lie about, silently daring him to kiss me.

He hesitated, as if thinking about taking up on the second offer, but then he decided against it.

"Ocean?"

"Last one has to tell Jason that Reyna is at dinner with a boy from town?"

He didn't even have to confirm it.

Percy jumped off the wall, and we both took off to the ocean.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Percy,**_

"_Και πήρε το χέρι της, θέλοντας να τους πάρει τόσο από τη ζωή που τόσο μισούσε. Να φύγει και να βρουν κάποιον νέο_-"

"_Και πήρε το χέρι της, θέλοντας να τους πάρει τόσο από τη ζωή που τόσο μισούσε. Να φύγει και να βρει κάτι καινούργιο_," Annabeth corrected me, as she leaned closer to me and pointed towards the passage.

"Does it make a difference?" I asked.

Her Greek was far superior to mine. Though we naturally knew Greek, we also naturally made little mistakes. And Annabeth hated making mistakes like that. So, she had spent years learning Greek until you wondered if her home language was a second language.

"It says, _And he took her hand, wanting to take them both from the life they hated so. To leave and find something new_. You said, _And he took her hand, wanting to take them both from the life they hated so. To leave and find _someone_ new._ The entire point of this story is that he _can't_."

I wondered if Annabeth knew the irony of what she just said.

He couldn't find someone new. He wanted them to get away from the life they both hated. To find a place where they can live together. Where they can be _happy_.

That doesn't sound familiar, now does it?

As I looked at Annabeth, I saw that she didn't see any of the irony that had made me snicker for almost an hour now.

She didn't see how funny she had picked up a book in Greek about a prince that loved a princess who was to marry his brother. That she laughed about how stupid this girl must have been to not see that her best friend was in love with her. That she commented on how she wished a guy would do something for her like he had, when I had done the same things a million times

"Why don't you read for a while?" I smiled as I handed her the book.

"Alright."

Annabeth slid closer to me and took the book, motioning for me to lean on her to see the paper better.

"_Πριγκίπισσα Αγνότητα πιέζεται το χέρι του για την υποστήριξη, και ο πρίγκιπας Αλέξανδρος χαμογέλασε στον εαυτό του_," Annabeth began.

_Princess Chastity squeezed his hand in support, and Prince Alex smiled to stared out to the water, and he thought to his brother across the sea, who had been gone for so long. But Alex didn't want him back. Because, once he was back, he would marry Chastity._

This made me think of Luke, just like most of this book had.

What was he doing right now? What was Katarina doing?

I was picturing them sitting around, laughing about how they both had ruined my life. About how funny it was that begging their parents really did end up destroying the happiness of people who had never done a thing against them. About how they would be perfectly fine while we would be miserable.

I took in all of my courage and wrapped my arms around Annabeth and rested my chin on her shoulder. I waited and waited for her to swat me away, but she simply smiled to herself and continued reading. I smiled and listened to the story, though sometimes I'd get distracted and think about other things. But I stayed with it for the most part.

"Alright," Annabeth told me, snapping me out of my thoughts, "Your turn. I read two chapters. You read two chapters."

"Two chapters already?"

"Weren't you paying attention?"

"Of course I was!"

"What happened last?"

Dang it.

"Well, Chastity's younger sister made a move on Alex."

_Please let that be it. Please let that be it._

"That was half a chapter ago," Annabeth laughed as she closed the book and set it on the forest floor.

It was a beautiful day in Annabeth's kingdom, as it always seemed to be in the summer. The trees canopied us as if we were in our own world. The sun that bled through the leaves left an imprint in the shadows and illuminated Annabeth's beautiful face. The grass was green and plush, with wildflowers and leaves scattered here and there. It was like a scene from one of the books Annabeth makes me read so much, and I had to admit that I loved it.

I couldn't tell what was greater though.

The soft breeze or Annabeth's soft skin.

The golden sunlight or Annabeth's golden hair.

The scent of the flowers mixed with sea air or the way Annabeth always smelled like Azabella's famous Apple Pies.

"What do you think will happen in the end?" Annabeth shifted. I moved my chin and was about to let her go when Annabeth leaned back to my chest.

"The book?"

"Yeah, about Chastity and Alex. Do you think Chastity will marry his brother or not?" Annabeth stared up at the blue sky as if asking the gods, praying that they tell her if she will find her Alex before she is married off.

"Well, does she love Alex?"

I knew that we were talking about the book that we had spent so long reading. But my question wasn't aimed at Princess Chastity, the heroine of the story. I was asking Princess Annabeth, the heroine of _my _story. I was asking if she loved me, or if she really did hold only love for her family and friends, no one romantic at all.

"Probably," Annabeth shrugged, but she didn't meet my eyes. She continued to stare out into space.

And I began to wonder if, like my question, hers had been directed at me.

_**Annabeth,**_

I glanced at the calendar that Olivia had hung earlier this morning, trying to get into the wedding mood.

17 days to Olympia's wedding.

34 to mine.

It hadn't been on purpose to have our weddings so close to each other. If anything, it had been the opposite. Olivia had planned my wedding first, being at the end of the summer for some symbolic thing of starting a new fall with him. Olympia's wedding was set by Prince Alex's wedding in exchange for having it here, where she had her family and such.

I wasn't sure if I was excited to have a brother-in-law soon. He'd be staying in the Castle seventeen days after their wedding so that they could come to mine, and I knew that this right there should mean that I should like having him into the family. But it would be so weird.

Olympia was my stubborn older sister with a sharp tongue, which was always used against Olivia. I had always known her as just that, not a wife and queen.

I wasn't sure if I could ever see her like that, or if she'd be that older sister who used to braid my hair and tell me stories about our mother to soothe me when not even Azabella could coax me into sleep.

"Annabeth."

And speak of the devil.

"Hey, Olympia," I smiled as I put my book, the one about Princess Chastity, back on the bookshelf of the Teaching Room.

"Look what just came in!" Olympia smiled wide as she held up something in a purple bag, and I silently cursed.

"The bridesmaid dress."

"Looks like you have to try it on now."

"Uh, I think I may have gotten the wrong measurements. I think I gained some weight," I tried, but Olympia shook her head.

"These are the same measurements from your wedding dress. And that fit you yesterday. You're telling me you have gained weight in the last fourteen hours?" Olympia raised her eyebrows, as if daring me to lie to her.

I moaned, and Olympia took that as a sign that I would try on the dress. If Olympia had designed how the dress would looked, or at least had a _say_ in it, I would have been fine with the dress. But Olivia had planned this gown.

When I was little, I might of thought that all of the frills and lace that Olivia had in her wedding dress looked beautiful. I might of thought that the expensive silk being ruffled everywhere was pretty. Or even the pearls and diamonds she decked herself out in would be even slightly okay.

But I wasn't a little kid anymore.

And I would rather wear nothing than to wear a dress that Olivia designed.

I had to run to catch up to my sister, who had always been faster than me, and I barely made it through the door to Olympia's room before she shut it.

Olympia hung the bag up while I slid out of my dress to try on the other.

"Eyes closed, Annabeth," Olympia smiled as she pulled my eyelids down, and I trusted her to put the dress on me.

I was surprised by the silky softness when the inside of an _Olivia Dress_ always had a scratchy base to keep all of the frills on it. And it was so light.

"Okay, you can open them now," Olympia, who had her hand on my waist before, moved back to watch my reaction, and I hesitated before finally checking to see what sort of dress I would walk down the aisle in.

"Oh my Zeus!" I gasped.

It was… it was…

_Beautiful._

The Champaign colored silk was so soft that I almost didn't want to ever get out of it. At the top of the left shoulder, there was extra fabric that went around me. it wrapped completely around me until my mid-thigh, where it was sewn to spread around with the mermaid bottom.

I was still staring at the dress in awe when Olympia set a metal headdress, like what I would be wearing on my wedding day, on my blonde curls.

"You look beautiful, Annie," Olympia smiled at me, "Not as great _I'll_ look. But you look great."

I smiled at my older sister and looked at just how beautiful she was.

I had always wanted to look like her, still kind of did.

She had long curly brown hair, which she always wore down. Her eyes were a beautiful grey, and she usually dressed to match that color. She looked like our mother in a lot of ways, the same thick lips and almond-shaped eyes. But her Roman nose was that of our fathers, as were her high cheekbones.

"Thanks, Ollie," I smiled.

"So, do you want to change back or let Percy see you looking this good?" Olympia nudged me with that older-sister-look that she had long since perfected.

I didn't mean to, but I blushed.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't try and pull that with me."

"Pull what?"

"_Percy and Annabeth sittin' in a tree_!" Olympia began to sing loudly, and I went from looking like a cute strawberry to an ugly tomato.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I told her as I took off the headdress and started to get out of the dress.

"Then why are you blushing?" Olympia smiled as she poked my shoulder, and I blushed even more.

"We're _friends_, Olympia," I wriggled out of the dress and hung it back up with care, "_Just friends."_

"And I'm a redhead!" Olympia laughed as she put the dress back in the bag.

"We've been friends forever, Olympia," I told her as I began to get dressed again.

"You really don't see it, do you, Annabeth?"

"See what?" I turned back to look at her with curiosity, and she stared at me with surprise, as if wondering if her sister was really as smart as she had thought she was.

"The way he looks at you," Olympia smiled lightly, "The way he's _always_ looked at you. Like you're more beautiful than the Goddess of Beauty. Like you're smarter than Athena. Like your funnier than Apollo. Like you will always be perfect in his eyes. I was always so jealous of you for that."

I stared at my sister in disbelief.

Maybe not even for what she said about Percy.

But about her being jealous of me.

Olympia wouldn't just say that unless it was really true, not a joke.

And Olympia had _never_ been jealous of me.

There was never a reason to. We were alike in so many ways that it would be pointless to be so. And Olympia was one who was comfortable in her own skin, something I truly am jealous of. I had always been the jealous one.

She was the oldest. She knew more of our mother. She knew herself so well, while I was still trying to figure out who Annabeth was. And she had such a will to stand up for what she believed in, something that I very much admired.

"You look at him the same way, you know. You always looked at him like he hung the moon, but it took on more as you've grown up," Olympia told me, and I continued to stare.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Percy,**_

"I am so tired," Annabeth collapsed on the sand.

"You're the one who kept daring the _son of a Sea God_ for a race," I collapsed beside her.

"Shut up."

I smiled and stared up to the blazing sun.

July had started, and the heat was starting to set in. And maybe that made me hate the weather even more.

I wanted to kill Olivia for the new calendar. Every time I went to the teaching room, where I had to go basically every day, I saw the calendar leading up to the weddings. It had first only had Olympia's since it was the closest. But, as the time approached for Annabeth's wedding, she had been added.

So, I had exactly _thirty one days _until the end of my life.

Yes, you heard that right. I had a month until Annabeth's wedding.

My wedding was a little later. At the end of August, right around my birthday. But it was still impending, and still happening.

I closed my eyes, wanting to go to sleep, but then suddenly someone curled around me.

My eyes flew open.

Annabeth closed her eyes and snuggled around me, setting her head on my chest to try to fall asleep.

I continued to stare down at her, and I tried to find words of what to say.

But then Annabeth closed her grey eyes and nuzzled her face into my chest.

I knew that I would regret it if I stopped the moment, so I just wrapped my arm around Annabeth's sandy back.

I was kind of getting used to it.

_Wow, never thought I'd say that one._

Annabeth sort of had a rule about being exclusively affectionate to her little brother, Eli. It was an unwritten rule, something that we all knew really well and had long since accepted into our lives. Annabeth wasn't cold to us or anything, but she had her Annabeth rules.

She didn't: Hug (except for me), no holding hands _ever_, no touching to show affection (like pushing your hair out of your eyes, etc), and you should never expect Annabeth to _ever_ say "I love you."

But, in the last three days, Annabeth had suddenly broken all of the rules.

Actually she had broken the rules for me.

And _only_ me.

Annabeth Chase had suddenly learned to be affectionate. And not _just_ affectionate. She had learned to be _really affectionate_.

I closed my eyes and let my skin soak in the July heat.

"I think I just saw Reyna," Annabeth told me like it was nothing.

"It's her kind of timing," I smiled.

"She's probably freaking out."

"Probably."

Annabeth shrugged and closed her eyes.

"I think she's finally realizing she loves Jason."

"It's taken long enough," I smiled.

"But she's worried about their friendship."

"I guess that's understandable."

Annabeth hesitated.

"Yeah, that's what I told her."

I looked down at Annabeth, who now seemed cold like she didn't get an answer she was hoping for.

Was she asking me that?

Or was she upset that this life of hers would soon be over?

I couldn't tell.

"I don't want to leave this summer with things unresolved like this. Thalia I'm giving up hope on, but I think I can help Reyna and Jason finally get together," Annabeth finally told me still not meeting my eyes.

"I thought they were moving with you," I began to stroke Annabeth's wet hair.

"Well, Thalia was…but I think she loves Nico. And I don't want to take her away from that. So, we agreed that she'll just come on long holidays to see me. And Reyna has a life here. She's got some friends nearby, and she'll still have Thalia."

I didn't know how to comfort Annabeth.

I knew that Annabeth had been counting on Thalia moving with her to Prince Lucas's kingdom. Annabeth loved Reyna and all, but Thalia and Annabeth had basically been joined at the hip for the last few years. They were like sisters, and they had been there for each other no matter what.

Even with Azabella moving with her, Annabeth needed someone to keep her sane. To keep her from going crazy and killing her husband in her sleep.

Annabeth needed a friend.

For years, I had taken to the call of being there for Annabeth whenever she needed me.

But I would no longer be able to do that.

Not if Katarina had any say in it.

And she _always_ did.

"Are you okay, Annabeth?"

"I'll be fine," Annabeth shrugged, "I'm already going to lose you. What difference does it make if I lose everything else?"

I stared down at the blonde in my arms, and I felt a sickly feeling set over me as I replayed those few words in my head.

All I could seem to do was wrap my arm around her closer and tried to go to sleep on the sand, just as Annabeth tried to do.

But I could feel her smiling that I hadn't done as everyone else had done by giving these long condolence speeches about how everything would be alright at the end of the day. Because that's all it is, a speech. It doesn't do any good.

_**Annabeth:**_

"Hey, how's Elaina?" I nodded towards the letter that Zee held in his hand.

He and Elaina had met almost a year ago, and Zee had fallen in love with her almost at first sight. Elaina had been a little hesitant to fall in love with him, but, just as many girls before her did, she quickly fell in love with my handsome older brother.

Three months ago, my brother had to choose who he wanted to marry. And Elaina had been his first choice.

Her father, who was the king of a neighboring kingdom, was ecstatic about the impending marriage, and our dad was happy that Zee had chosen someone as responsible as Elaina. But Elaina and Zee were the happiest about their marriage.

I had to admit that I liked my brother being so responsible, and not having to worry that he might start dating my friends if I introduced them.

"Good, I guess. She's on her way to come to Olympia's wedding," Zee smiled.

Zee hadn't seen Elaina in almost three months.

But he was too _macho_ to admit that he missed her.

"You excited to see her?" I asked as I scanned through the food on the table in the teaching room.

"I guess," Zee shrugged as he reached for a blueberry muffin.

Breakfast had sort of been called off for the day.

All of the cooks were preparing for the large banquet tonight, and my step-mother was carefully decorating the dining hall and making sure that Olympia looked her best when the visitors finally got here.

Today was the day that my future brother-in-law was to finally arrive.

I had two weeks until my sister was to marry Alexander, and I had let myself get excited. At least I could enjoy _one wedding_. It might not be _my _wedding, but I wanted to be able to have fun a wedding at least once in my life.

"Oh, Azabella's homemade bacon," Percy smiled as he loaded pretty much a mountain of the stuff on his plate.

I smiled to myself as I realized that Percy was _finally_ awake.

Olivia had earned the name of_ Step-Monster_ this morning when she suddenly decided that we all had to wake up.

Now, I'd understand if it was _my_ wedding, but waking up the maid of honor at five in the morning was completely pointless. And I was expected to stay up and do as my step-mother needed to do, even though she actually had nothing for me to do and just made me follow her around. When I was finally released from my step-mothers supervision, I was still supposed to sit around the teaching room with my siblings in case Olivia needed us.

Percy had been blessed by being left alone.

I bit into a blueberry muffin as I sat down beside Percy, across from Zee and Eli.

"Where's Ollie?" Eli asked as he sipped at orange juice.

Sometimes, I wasn't sure that Eli really understood that Olympia was getting married.

"She's eating with your mom," Zee answered with a shrug as he pushed the butter towards Eli, who could never seem to get enough of the stuff.

"When's Alex getting here?" Percy asked after biting into a slice of bacon.

"By lunch time, I think," I took a slice of bacon from his plate even though I had some already, and Percy tried to seem mad that I had stolen the legendary bacon that we all loved. But his sweet smile ruined that for him.

In the last few days, I had earned that smile from Percy more times than Katarina had in a year.

I don't know why I've been so affectionate towards Percy, but I don't care either. I like it, and I don't care what Reyna says. How Olympia looks at me as if to say that I'm just proving her right. How Zee just stares in confusion, since he is the only one who still believes me when I say that I'm just friends with Percy. Or how Eli just smiles wide.

And what would it matter if I _did_ know?

I'd still be that way.

"I still don't like the guy," Zee grumbled as he continued to eat his breakfast.

"Why not? He's great."

"Because he's marrying my sister," Zee answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I love the guy who married my sister," Percy piped up.

"But that's because you hated your sister," Zee laughed, and Percy shrugged.

"True, very true."

Zee smiled wide at him.

"But I like my sister."

"_Like_?" I laughed, imagining how mad Olympia would be if she heard _Like_.

"I'm going to tell Ollie!" Eli laughed loudly, and Zee started to stutter out something about how he shouldn't do it. But Eli decidedly shook his head and reached across the table to high-five Percy, who had a smile just as big if not bigger.

"Buh-but…"Zee tried, but he quickly gave up and moved up his plate so that he could rest his head on the table.

"That's my Eli," I smiled, and Eli beamed.

_**Percy,**_

"Why are they always so happy?" I asked as I pointed to the couple of the hour.

From what I could tell, Alexander and Olympia hadn't left each other's sight since Alexander had arrived.

"They're in love remember?" Annabeth laughed as she rested her head on my shoulder.

"In the last ten years, I have seen Olympia smile less than ten times. And I haven't seen her _stop_ smiling all day," I laughed as I set my cheek on the top of her head.

"It's kind of scary, isn't it?"

"_Kind of?"_ I chuckled, and Annabeth sighed.

"What do you think it feels like? To be in love like that?" Annabeth pointed towards the pair, who were strolling through the gardens together.

I can assure you, we didn't plan on spying on the pair. We had come to the wall first, and they just happened to decide to walk through the gardens tonight.

I shrugged to Annabeth's question because I couldn't bear to lie to her and tell her that I didn't know. I had lied to many times about that, and I didn't want to do it again. Especially when she was in my arms, gripping my hand like she was scared I'd let go.

Annabeth sighed, like she had expected that much.

"Are you going on the hunt tomorrow?" Annabeth made a point of wanting to change the subject.

"Uh, no, I don't think so. I've gotten used to the Barrier. I'm not sure I'd be able to handle going back out again."

Annabeth laughed.

The Barrier was a gift to Athena on the birth of her first child. There were a lot of gods that were still angry towards the wise goddess, but hurting her was basically impossible. Athena didn't hold on to many things for that reason, because she knew it would be endangering them if she did.

But she couldn't help but love those little babies, Zee and Olympia.

Feeling honored because of Zee's name, Zeus decided that he wanted to protect the little baby boy.

So, a monster barrier was formed around the castle.

"I'm pretty sure you could take him, Perce," Annabeth laughed like the idea of me being beaten by a monster was the funniest thing she had ever heard.

"You're forgetting, Owl, I'm not as gifted as you are. I have to train. I'm not as skilled as you. I have to train while you can just grab a sword and be done with it," I nudged the blonde.

"Funny, funny, Prince Perseus. _Very funny_," Annabeth smiled.

"It won't be long until you can call me King Perseus."

That was probably the only thing that I liked about the end of the summer.

I would be turning eighteen, and, when I was eighteen, I had to do two things.

I had to wed. And I had to take over the kingdom.

In that order, actually.

Getting married? No, I'm dreading that.

But becoming king? Now that I liked.

Maybe it wasn't the power.

But I had come to love my subjects, and I wanted to protect them.

And that I couldn't do as a simple prince.

"Ooh, right. King Perseus. How am I going to handle that? You being above me in rank?"

"Oh come one, I don't doubt for a minute that you'll be king instead of _Prince Party Animal_."

Oh great, a new nickname for him.

That makes a hundred, right?

But I can only say three without having to wash out my tongue with soap.

"Right, King Annabeth," Annabeth shifted, leaning more into me, "I think it has a nice ring to it."

"Much better than King Lucas."

Annabeth's smile widened as I brushed back her blonde curls, and she closed her eyes, as if letting herself completely enjoy the moment.

"Has the happy couple left yet?"

I looked to where they had been before.

"Yup."

Annabeth nodded.

"I better get to bed. I have dress fittings basically all day tomorrow," Annabeth moaned as she moved her head from my shoulder and wriggled out of my arms and down to the ground.

"And I've been instructed to sleep till noon," I bragged.

Annabeth shoved me off the wall.

"What was that for?"

"Bragging," Annabeth leaned over the wall, and she tried to keep a straight face. But she simply smiled.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Annabeth, **_

"Are you sure you don't want to come, Annabeth?" Thalia asked hopefully, but we both knew the answer.

I wasn't a bad hunter. I wasn't _good_ at it, but I was in no way _bad._

So, I wasn't declining to join gut wedding party on a hung in fear of ridicule, which is what Thalia seems to think.

But I couldn't quite tell Thalia my _real reason_ for staying.

Percy wasn't going, and everyone had kept a close eye on the two of us with my wedding getting closer and closer. And all of my spectators were going to the hung, even Azabella to keep an eye on the other teenagers.

Basically since he had gotten here, I had wanted to get some time alone with my best friend. Aside from my new-found affection for Percy, I needed my best friend. I needed him to say something that could only make sense in his Seaweed Brain logic. And I just needed _him._

"You'll be fine without me, Thal, and I'm much better here," I smiled at her, and she sighed, giving up on me coming with her finally

Everyone else had given up long ago on me coming when I had first declined. But I guess I understood why she wanted me to go. This was probably the last hunt we would ever get to go to together.

My future-husband would never allow me to go, probably worried that I would "_accidentally" _shoot him with the arrow instead of the animal.

I never said he was stupid.

"Have fun at home," Thalia showed her distain and at the thought of such pure boredom.

"I will," I laughed as I opened my arms to hug her, and, despite her heavy and painful-to-me armor, I hugged my old friend tightly.

"You and Eli better watch that old loon. Who knows what crazy thing he'll do next?" Thalia laughed as she wriggled out of my grasp and started towards her pure black stallion.

"That old loon?" I raised my eyebrow quizzically.

Percy and Thalia loved to mess with each other.

Why? I'll never know.

But I do know that it keeps you entertained.

"Take care of him. You know how he is. And you seem to the be the only one who can make him act the least bit _sane_," Thalia laughed at the thought of her crazy cousin and she mounted the hours. She would be the last of the group to reach their destination, with only Nico to keep her company on the way there. But I highly doubted that either of them would have wanted it any other way.

"And take care of your loon," I motioned towards the road, where Nico had patiently been waiting for Thalia to finally give up on me coming.

Nico seemed to be the only one who understood that Percy and I needed time without people watching us like I watch Eli when he plays too close to the cliffs.

Thalia laughed before saying her final goodbye and riding off into the horizon, like one of those romantic stories Azabella used to tell me to help me sleep at night.

I couldn't help but watch my friend leave.

Everything seemed to so simple for her, despite her horrible past which she won't even tell me. It was something I envied, how her uncle had decided not to just marry her off. And how clear it was that her love for Nico was returned.

I looked around the scenery as I started t walk down the stone road to the castle. It was a beautiful beach day, with the sun glistening off the old castle. And this was one of those redeeming days for the summer that seemed to be purely evil at times.

"There you are!"

I looked to my right, which led off to the gardens, and there was my adorable little brother, running up to me.

There were basically only four people here. There is the bride-to-be, Olympia, who is so busy with the wedding that I wonder how she ever finds time to sleep. Then Olivia, who has been waiting for this moment basically since she found out that she was getting two step-daughters. And then of course there were the two boys in my life, Percy and Eli.

"There's my favorite boy," I got down on my knees to burst his blonde hair out of his shining eyes.

"Annabeth, Percy promised to teach me how to fish!" Eli smiled happily.

"He did?" I smiled, "Well, he is the absolute best at it, Eli."

"Am I?"

I looked up to see Percy in all of his glory.

Sometimes, it seemed unfair how handsome he was. It was almost like Aphrodite had specifically taken the time to make his face.

Or how sweet he was.

I had met a pretty good number of good-hearted men, princes included. But none of them could come in contest to Prince Perseus.

Percy's beautiful smile formed, which made me always smile, and I had trouble to look away from him and back towards my little brother.

"You know, Percy tried to teach me how to fish once."

"And I have the scar to prove it."

Eli laughed as he looked up to Percy, and I even laughed, though I knew that he wasn't joking.

"Which is why I will b ensure to stay far, _far_ away," I smiled as I finally stood up, ruffling my brother's hair.

"But you guys are do happy together."

Percy and I looked down to my little half-brother, and it took all of my reserved strength not to blush to the shade of a strawberry.

"I think we'll have fun together though," Percy smiled, but he hadn't been as lucky to prevent blushing. And Eli continued to look up at us, as if silently repeating what he had just said.

"You always seem to," I nudged Percy, which made Eli look like I had just proved his theory.

"You know, I think I heard Olympia say that Azabella had to leave some of her homemade deserts," Percy quickly tried to change the subject.

"That sounds great. I'm starving."

And, to make sure I didn't prove Eli right, I forced myself not to entwine my hand with Percy's as we walked back to the castle.

_**Percy,**_

I kissed the top of Eli's head as he continued to sleep in my arms.

I loved Eli more as a son than as a brother. And Annabeth seemed to see him the same way.

Maybe that was what made our time together so great.

It was like we were a family. Not like how Zee purposely made us feel like siblings. But like we were the parents Eli longed for.

And Eli seemed to like it like that.

He wasn't really close with his real parents, but he fit right in with us. It was almost like he had found my love for Annabeth and wanted it to happen, for me to say_ "I do" _instead of Luke.

Whatever it was, i loved spending time with Eli.

So much so that I hadn't been able to say goodbye to Annabeth and Eli today. Instead, I had spent the entire day with him right up until he had fallen asleep.

"You know, I used to think he would come and live with me, but I worry now that he'll run off with you," Annabeth laughed as she smiled at the two of us.

"I'd love to have him," I smiled as I pushed his door open and set the little boy down in his bed.

"It's kind of scary how much he loves you."

"How?"

"Because you're not going to be here forever."

This made me look up at her.

I wasn't sure if I had ever seen Annabeth make that expression of pure pain. Like everything hurt. Breathing. Talking. _Thinking_. Like nothing could ever be good again.

"I miss when you were optimistic."

Annabeth smiled a little bit.

"So do I."

I helped Annabeth make sure that all of the candles in Eli's room were blown out, but there was no need for the candles anyway. The full moon shone in like the morning sun, and that was _with_ the curtains drawn.

I followed Annabeth through the small door to the passage that led through all of our rooms, and she stopped in front of her door, which was directly across from mine.

"So, what are you going to be doing tomorrow? While I'm with Eli?"

"Dress fitting. Olivia is _so sure _that I'm gaining weight even though she's had me on a diet all summer," Annabeth laughed at the thought of her step-mother.

"Your wedding dress?" I suddenly felt sick.

"Bridesmaids," Annabeth smiled with relief, like her wedding dress made her sick too.

I nodded, trying to hide my relief. But even oblivious Jason would have noticed it.

"I better get to bed. Olivia will be in here waking me up as soon as Apollo finally decides to rise the sun," Annabeth pushed her hair behind her ear as she nodded towards the door behind her.

"Night."

Annabeth got up on her tippy toes to kiss my cheek before disappearing back into her room.

And I stayed there out of shock.

A smile played across my lips as I came back into my room and came out to my balcony, where the gods seemed to be trying to illuminate everything tonight.

And then they illuminated something else other than the night sky.

And I fell to sit on the ground as the realization hit me.

Everything flashed through me, every moment I had spent with Annabeth since she had suddenly gotten affectionate. But instead of just remembering it, I thought to Annabeth. How she had looked at me in specifics.

The way she had looked at me tonight.

I knew that look well.

For years, girls had looked at me like that with their flirty smiles and blushes. But I knew it personally, too.

Because for the last ten years, I had looked at Annabeth like that.

"Oh my gods," I whispered, "I think Annabeth loves me."


	11. Chapter 11

_**Annabeth,**_

I looked at my sister in the full -length mirror.

She looked so beautiful, just like our mother had in that dress.

It was simple, to the horror of Olivia.

The white fabric was more of just hanging on her, with a metal belt in the middle to show her curves. It was a V-neck, which Olivia had used to her advantage by making Olympia wear a complicated ruby necklace that was a gift from Alexander for her birthday. The gown may have been simple, but Olympia looked like a goddess in it.

Her long brown hair had been calmed down into a magnificent up-do, curtsey of our annoying stepmother. And her grey eyes shone with the white dress. To match the ruby ring Alexander had given her, they had put little touches of red around.

Like the red carnation of her bouquet.

The ruby rose hair pins.

The drop-down ruby earrings that our mother had been given as a gift for her first anniversary.

And the lace veil that Azabella had made with the help of our mother for little Olympia to play with, though she never actually_ did_ play with it, was held in pace behind her head with a red headdress.

"What do you think, Annie?" Olympia smiled wide.

For the first time, it didn't feel unfair for her to be happy about her upcoming wedding. Instead, it felt right.

My sister had never been this happy. She was always upset about how people treated her lesser just because she was a girl. Or about how annoying being a princess can be. And she was always thinking of the one person who truly understood her and who was oh so far away, our mother.

She deserved this more than anyone else. Olympia deserved to be happy, and I was finally able to see that.

"You look beautiful, Olympia," I smiled, and Olympia looked back to herself in the mirror while Azabella continued to weave my hair with a red carnation pin.

This morning, Olivia had woken everyone in the castle up, even Percy this time.

We were all given jobs.

Eli was to help calm down our father.

Percy was the messenger between Alexander's wedding party and Olympia's.

Thalia was sent out to pick more flowers.

And I was supposed to calm down the bride.

If anything, Olympia was taking it the best. So, instead of my older sister, I was soothing everyone else. I had hugged Azabella more times than I had hugged her in years. I was forced to wash off Olivia's make-up after she started crying and ruined it. I had to usher my father out of the room when he started crying, and I had to keep finding jobs for Jason to do before he got that cookie I had my eyes on but hadn't gotten a chance to get to yet.

And, if it was at _all _possible, Olivia had made my job harder by trying to teach me what it would be like at my upcoming wedding.

It would be a relief when they would finally say "I Do" and this would all be over.

"Annabeth?"

I mentally groaned as I looked up at Olivia.

"Do you think we should switch out this this metal thing," Olivia toyed with the silver waistband on Olympia's dress, "for a red ribbon?"

My eyes widened, and Olympia's mouth formed an 'O'.

Azabella, seeing I was too shocked for words, spoke for me.

"Their mother melted down the sword that had caused her to meet their father to create that belt."

"I forgot," Olivia took her hand off the belt, "I'm going to check on your father."

Even after Olivia left, we didn't speak.

"You're done, Sweetheart," Azabella whispered in my ear, and I picked up two cookies before sitting down by the window beside my sister.

"Cookie?"

"Peanut butter?"

I smiled as I nodded, and my sister took one of the cookies from my hand.

"Azabella makes the best cookies," Olympia kept her eyes on the cookie in her hand.

"And she'll make them for us at our daughter's wedding," I smiled at my sister, and she weakly smiled back.

"She's not here yet, you know?" Olympia looked up to me, and I didn't see my twenty year old sister who was the strongest of all of us.

I saw the twelve year old girl who used to watch the sky, waiting for Zeus to let our mother come home again,

"She promised she would come, Annie."

"And she will," I squeezed my sister's hand.

We didn't see our mother much.

She is a goddess after all, and gods see time much differently. A year to us is a blink of an eye to them. And, considering how other gods treat their demigod children, Athena sees us all the time. That doesn't mean that it feels fair or that it makes it okay.

That's why we all remember our mother's promise that she would come to Olympia's wedding, no matter what.

"The wedding hasn't started yet. And, while she may not be able to come to the ceremony, I know she'll be here for the reception."

I sounded so confident, so sure.

But my fears were starting to set in just like Olympia's.

"I love you, Annie," Olympia ignored Olivia's warnings about how it would ruin my hair and leaned over to hug me tightly.

I had never really hugged my sister much.

Neither of us were huggers at all.

So, when we hugged, it was usually awkward.

But not this time.

This time it felt like the most natural thing in the world.

_**Percy,**_

I handed Annabeth a drink as she finally let herself relax after everything she had to do today.

The wedding went perfectly.

The music played at the perfect volume as everyone came down the aisle.

Olympia looked beautiful in her mother's wedding gown, and her father forced his tears away for the time when he kissed his daughter goodbye and sat down in his seat.

And it was clear that, as Alexander and Olympia said "I Do",they were the happiest people in the world today.

I had to admit that I wanted that.

I had tried to keep myself busy to not think of that, but it kept coming back.

"Thanks," Annabeth smiled at me as she took the drink, and I forced myself away from my dreams.

"Is your mother here yet?" I asked, knowing I'd have to leave as soon as she got here.

"No, she's going to break Olympia's heart."

Annabeth sighed, and I wrapped my arm around her as we continued to stare out to the stars reflecting off the dark blue ocean.

It was a beautiful night, as if the gods had made sure of that just for Olympia.

"Uh, Annabeth?"

She looked up at me.

"Can I talk to you for a second?"

Annabeth knit her eyebrows in confusion.

"What's wrong, Percy?"

What's wrong?

Everything really.

But I wasn't going to list everything like that.

I had one thing to tell her.

Three words actually.

_I love you._

I was about to tell her after all these long years.

Note the _was._

Suddenly, there was s sudden heat and gold light behind us.

_Dang it_.

I turned around to see exactly what I was afraid of.

"Mom," Annabeth smiled as she rushed to hug her mother.

Athena hadn't taken the same form that she had when she had been married to King Frederick. But she still reminded me of Annabeth.

Her long hair was black and tied in a bun behind her. Skin was a dark tan, and she was taller than she had been before. She dressed in all purple.

Purple ribbons.

Purple dress.

Purple shoes.

Purple jewels.

But her eyes were always the same intelligent grey that all of her children had inherited.

I bowed respectfully to the Goddess of Wisdom, but I could still feel her agitation for me. Whether if it was for my father only or because I had fallen for her daughter, I didn't know. But I did know it was there.

And that it made me want to cower behind Annabeth.

They continued to talk like mother and daughter do, and I realized that I wasn't going to get to tell Annaberh tonight.

Another day wasted.

"Olympia really wants to see you," Annabeth smiled at her mother, forcing tears away.

And off they went with that.

I sighed as I turned back to the waves breaking over the shore, as if my father was apologizing that Athena had just ruined everything, and I went back into the party, mingling Olivia had instructed me.

I was about to excuse myself from a boring conversation with some politician when I saw Annabeth waving towards me, smiling wide as she held up another drink. I couldn't help but smile as I began to weave through the crowd to get there.

And then I heard my name.

"Percy? I need to talk to you for a minute."

I sighed as I motioned to Annabeth that I would be there in a minute.

"I've been looking for you everywhere, son," my adopted father told me as he grabbed my arm and started to pull me off to the side, where no one would be able to hear us.

"Dad, I really don't have time. I need to talk to Annabeth."

"I know, I know, Percy. But this is important, too."

"Cant it wait?"

"No, it can't."

"I don't think you understand how important this is, Dad," I almost begged, which should of shown my father just how serious this was. He had raised a son that _never _begged.

"And you don't understand how important this is, Pursues."

I froze.

_Pursues._

No one called me Pursues, except for when Rebecca is teasing me, unless this is bad news.

Not even when Zee is teasing me.

He's taking me home.

He hadn't said it, but I knew my father.

"We can't be going home. Not yet. Please, I'm begging you," I felt desperation set over me.

Time had run out, and I had blown it. But I was so close. She was only a few feet away, and I was going to tell her! I was going to do what I should of done after all these years. I was just so close…

But so far away.

"Read this, Percy," my father handed me a letter.

"It was inside an express letter. A very important one. And it is addressed to you, Percy."

_Prince Pursues, _

_Open immediately._

But that wasn't the interesting part.

The girly cursive on the back was.

_One day, you will forgive me._

_Yours truly,_

_Katarina_

I looked up at my father, and I knew.

I couldn't have imagined how much would be inside this small little letter.

But I could just tell that what Katarina was apologizing for would change everything.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Percy,**_

I tried to sleep.

I tried to think of the happy moments of today.

Pestering Zee with Jason, trying to get him to admit that he will miss his twin sister.

Being the only one that would make Annabeth believe that she looked beautiful.

Watching how happy Alexander and Olympia had been.

But I was still thinking about that letter.

It was becoming like an obsession, hearing the words play over and over in my head like an awful song, the one you hate but can't stop singing. I could almost hear Katarina's silky voice repeating the letter, with her overly dramatic tone that she used with everything. And, if I closed my eyes really tight, I could almost see her and the memories she had relayed to me.

Finally, I pushed the blankets off me and came to sit at the desk, where I lit a candle to see the letter once again.

* * *

><p><em>Dear Perseus,<em>

_Oh, Percy, how am I to tell you? _

_I must start at the very beginning._

_Do you remember the day we first met?_

_I loved you from the first moment I saw you._

_And, while you did not take to me the same way I did to you, I didn't give up hope. I pushed my father away from making me marry Prince Nicholas to you. I knew you didn't love me, but you could. You could learn to me, and that was enough to satisfy me._

_That wasn't fair of me, but I didn't see it like that. I saw it as doing what I had to so that I could be with the one I loved._

_Time passed, and I still saw it the same way._

_And then this summer came, and I was so excited to be marrying you. I just wanted the summer to end so that I could be your wife, your queen. I spent most of my time preparing for the wedding until I had every detail ready._

_Once I had nothing else to do, the days seemed to last forever. And I couldn't find anything to do._

_So, my brother asked me to come with him on his pursuits for hopeful wife, Princess May._

_When I got there, I agreed with your feelings towards Prince Lucas._

_I won't go in to detail about our relationship. That doesn't matter._

_But something happened, Percy. I don't know what it was, but I fell in love with him._

_And he fell in love with me._

_He couldn't call off his engagement to Annabeth. His people needed him to marry her, you know that as well as I do I'm sure._

_And I was ready to say goodbye to the one I loved and lie in the in the bed I had made for myself._

_And then we made a mistake._

_Oh am I so ashamed, Percy!_

_I found out right before I was to leave._

_...my father was so disappointed._

_Luke and I try to seem upset about it, but it is clear to everyone that we are relieved. I know that I have done something awful and immoral...but I do not feel guilt, only love for my unborn child._

_I do, however, feel guilt for the way I have treated you, dear Percy._

_I forced you into this engagement to me. I took away the privilege of you being able to marry for love. I took away your very happiness. And then, ring before our wedding date, I write to you with such an awful truth._

_You must hate me._

_I would hate me, too._

_I have much more to say. But I must finally conclude with the very reason I wrote to you, Percy._

_My father has already written to as, you to end our engagement, but I needed to explain why I really needed to marry Luke._

_I plea, dear Percy, that you release me from our engagement._

_Yours truly,_

_Katarina_

* * *

><p>I held the ring up to the candle light.<p>

When I had first opened the letter, it had fallen into my hand, telling me beforehand what this letter was about.

The beautiful amethyst ring had been my mother's long ago. She was given it by her father as a gift to congratulate her on getting engaged. I had never much liked the ring, but I had always wanted to give my fiancé a ring that had sentimental value, even if I didn't want her to be my fiancé.

I should be happy.

I am free. I can do what I want with my life now.

I can spend my life with Annabeth, even.

But it just... I don't know.

It doesn't feel..._real_.

It feels like a dream, only Katarina has a much worse fate than this in my dreams.

I picked up a jar of ink and began to reply to Katarina, searching within me to find kinder words than those I had kept inside for so long.

* * *

><p><em>Dear Katarina,<em>

_As you have taken a leap of faith and told me the truth, I should do the same._

_I hate to admit this, since I was aware of how you felt before now, but I never loved you. I do not love you now. I did not love you then. I actually _hated_ you because you had taken the life I could have had with the one I loved. You were my monster inside, the thing I blamed everything on.__ It was wrong for you to force me into an engagement, and I admit that I have held it against you since._

_I also admit that my hatred for Luke has deepened. But not because of his dealings with you but for the betrayal of Annabeth, who I love so deeply. I do congratulate him on finding a mutual love with you, and I pray that you will keep this strong love until your death._

_I am happy for the family you are starting, and I shall make sure that it does not take long to put end to this so that no scandal will arise. _

_I wish you the best of luck in your life._

_And I release you from the hatred that has been burning inside of me for so long. _

_You are released of our engagement._

_With the best of luck to you,_

_Perseus_

* * *

><p>I read through the letter and sealed it, writing on the envelope,<em>To Princess Katarina, <em>on the front and, _No forgiveness is needed, _on the back. I set the envelope back on the table for it to be sent with the letter from my father, ending it all.

I took the only candle and used it to light the others as I went to open the balcony doors, and I took long deep breaths as I stared out to the night sky. It felt like years since the wedding reception that had taken place in the gardens below, where I had come so close to saying those three words j had been dying to say for so long.

_I love you_.

So simple but so hard.

I wanted to tell her in the right way, but I worried that the right way wouldn't come now.

My dad would make me go home, I knew he would. It wouldn't be long either. I'd be lucky to get a week still here. And I probably wouldn't get to _talk_ to Annabeth while Olivia is freaking out about Luke, much less tell her my deepest secret.

Suddenly, I heard a gentle knock coming from the closet.

I rushed there and pulled the door open to see Annabeth waiting in the corridor.

Annabeth,

"You're up," I tried to mask my shock.

My mother had just left, and I had tried to get to sleep. I really had.

But I couldn't stop thinking of Percy, and I began to wonder what he had wanted to tell me.

After sending my mother to talk to my sister, I had suddenly remembered of Percy. I had tried to call him over. But King Paul had gotten to him before I could, and the last I saw of him was when he was walking back to the castle, intently reading a letter.

"And you're here," Percy smiled, but I knew him well enough to know that there was something bothering him.

"Are you okay, Percy?"

"Yeah, of c-" Percy stopped and shook his head, "No, I'm really not."

"What's wrong?"

"Well..." Percy trailed off, "Come in."

Percy started walking towards the desk in his room, and I followed after him, making sure that the door closed behind me.

Percy reached for a small envelope with some scrawled script on it, and he sat down at the edge of his bed after handing it to me

_One day, you will forgive me._

_Yours truly,_

_Katarina_

"Forgive her?"

"Read the letter."

I carefully pried it open and began to read through the letter aloud.

"_Dear Perseus,_

_Oh, Percy, how am I to tell you? _

_I must start at the very beginning._

_Do you remember the day we first met?_

_I loved you from the first moment I saw you._

_And, while you did not take to me the same way I did to you, I didn't give up hope. I pushed my father away from making me marry Prince Nicholas to you. I knew you didn't love me, but you could. You could learn to me, and that was enough to satisfy me._

_That wasn't fair of me, but I didn't see it like that. I saw it as doing what I had to so that I could be with the one I loved._

_Time passed, and I still saw it the same way._

_And then this summer came, and I was so excited to be marrying you. I just wanted the summer to end so that I could be your wife, your queen. I spent most of my time preparing for the wedding until I had every detail ready._

_Once I had nothing else to do, the days seemed to last forever. And I couldn't find anything to do._

_So, my brother asked me to come with him on his pursuits for hopeful wife, Princess May._

_When I got there, I agreed with your feelings towards Prince Lucas._

_I won't go in to detail about our relationship. That doesn't matter._

_But something happened, Percy. I don't know what it was, but I-"_

I gasped and fell to sit beside Percy on the bed as my eyes flew over the page, yelling out the important parts every now and then.

"_but I do not feel guilt, only love for my unborn child!"_ I looked to Percy for confirmation, and he nodded.

I kept reading, my heart beat getting louder and faster with every word until I was unable to breathe, and I simply dropped the letter to the ground.

"She's-she's-" I fell back to be laying on the bed, unable to believe it.

"I just finished my letter back. I have to let her go."

I nodded, begging to shake.

She was pregnant.

Expecting.

With child!

I couldn't breathe, it was just so much to take.

"Why am I not happy?" I wrapped my arms around my torso, trying to stop myself from shaking.

"I know, right?"

I laughed a little as I continued to stare up at the ceiling.

But it came out weak and pathetic.

"Olivia's going to freak out when she finds out that my engagement is off," I tried not that I succeeded.

"Abbalee is probably going to track Katarina down to scream at her."

Now this _did _make me laugh because I knew he was completely serious.

"Or worse."

Percy smiled.

"You're going to go home, aren't you?" this was what actually what made me sad.

My fiancé of years has an affair and impregnated the girl, but the thought of Percy going home makes me want to cry?

"Probably. I have maybe a week. Maybe less. Abbalee will undoubtedly be looking for a new wife for me by tomorrow."

"Oh gods!" I covered my eyes with my hand, "What if I get stuck with _Caspian?"_

Percy laughed, clearly not understanding that this was a legitimate fear.

Prince Caspian sounds romantic,like it belongs in a book. But his name is so misleading it could almost make you laugh. You expect a daring, handsome, and kind prince, right?

But what you get is a pasty, annoying, and rude coward.

It was never a wonder to me why he had trouble finding someone to marry him.

"You won't get stuck with _Caspain_, Annabeth," Percy laughed as he took my hand.

"You know my father is oblivious! Who knows who he'll set me up with!"

Percy seemed like he was about to say something, but he closed his mouth before he could finish.

"Hey, what were you going to tell me at the wedding?" I shifted to where I could be looking directly at him, and I could tell by the look in his eyes that he wasn't going to tell me the truth.

"Never mind," Percy shrugged as he pushed my hair out of my eyes.

Silence filled the room until I finally spoke up.

"Sometimes, I wish I'd said yes."

Percy knit his eyebrows in confusion, and I took a deep breath before explaining.

"To marrying you. My dad asked me when I was abut eight, but I said no. Looking back on it, I don't even know why I said no. And then my dad reached an agreement with Luke after almost getting in another war."

As I continued to lay there, I realized how true it was.

"My dad never gave me the choice," Percy shrugged, smiling like the good friend he was.

But would he of chosen me?

I wasn't sure if I wanted him to or not.

And then I realized that we weren't saying anything.

Instead, we were just looking into each other's eyes with the old telepathy we swore we had when we were kids, though we said that mostly to scare Abbalee.

And then a candle blew out, bringing us back to the world around us.

I glanced towards the balcony.

"I better get going," I sat up and looked to the moon and tried to figure out just how much time had passed.

I used what Thalia had taught me when we went camping and figured out the time.

_An hour?_

I forced myself not to blush.

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Percy went back to the desk, where he held the letter to Katarina once again, and I couldn't help but walk over there.

"Percy, there are three little words you forgot tell me," I began to massage his neck, and he tensed.

"What?"

"_I was right. _You said that Luke and Katarina deserved each other. And you were spot on."

Percy relaxed, almost laughing at himself.

"What did you think I was talking about?"

"Never mind, Annabeth. Never mind."

I continued to stare at him, wondering what three words he had thought I was talking about.

**_I know it isn't my best chapter, but here it is._**

**_And don't despair._**

**_There is so much more to come._**

**_;D_**


	13. Chapter 13

**Percy,**

The sun peered into my eyes, telling me to wake up.

But it was a little late.

The gods had decided to end their silence towards me and flood me with enough dreams for every one in the world tonight.

All sorts of dreams.

The ones which are hard to understand and take a lot of thought.

The ones where they tell me to man up.

The ones where Aphrodite thanks me for an entertaining soap opera, which I hate most.

Then the ones of the future, which were all so different that I could tell my fate was in the air.

At four in the morning, I had officially given up and just stared at the ceiling, counting every single thread in the curtain that draped over my bed.

_25,193_

_25,194_

_25,195_

_25,196_

The room illuminated almost immediately, telling me that I was finally free.

I sat up in bed and ruffled my hair as I came to change, throwing some things in a bag since I knew I would have to leave soon. I wrote a quick message to my father and clipped it to the letter for Katarina and slid it under the door to my adopted father's room. And I burned one of Azabella's famous cookies for a sacrifice to my biological father.

But that didn't waste enough time.

If I knew Annabeth at all, I knew that she wouldn't be awake. And she was the only one I wanted to see right now.

I didn't want the pity from Zee or Jason, and I couldn't stand the congratulations from Nico.

I grabbed a piece of paper and ink and brought it out to the balcony, where I was about to write a letter to my favorite sister, Rebecca.

And then I looked out to the gardens.

The first smile after forever of waking up screaming played across my lips.

"There's my baby boy," Annabeth's voice was small up here, but I could still hear her as she swooped her little brother into her arms, "Have you been crying?"

"I don't want to loose you," Eli muzzled closer into his sister.

"Why would you think you would ever loose me?"

"Because you're going to get married and leave me here!"

Eli cried harder.

"You are never _ever _going to loose me, Eli. Or Ollie. Or Zee. Or even Percy! And I don't care what anyone says, you are coming _with_ me when I get married, Eli," Annabeth smiled as she rocked Eli, and I couldn't help but keep smiling.

I left the paper and ink on the ledge and threw my clothes out of the bag and back into my closet. I grabbed a coat, despite the July heat. And I slammed my door behind me.

I was basically sliding on the floor as I ran to the end of the guest hallway, to the especially reserved room for visiting kings, and I had to grip onto the doorframe not to run straight into King Paul, who was coming out of the door just as I was about to run in.

"Percy?" he laughed, placing his hands on my shoulders, "Calm down, Little Guppy."

"Sorry."

"I just finished my letter back home. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just...uh," I tried to catch my breath.

"I just read this," he held up the paper from earlier, "I would love to stay here a week, and I'll try to. But I can't promise, Percy."

"Uh, that is actually why I am here."

My dad knit his eyebrows in confusion.

"You're always saying I should take an interest in working with our kingdom, right?"

"I suppose so."

"We'll here I am."

"Percy, what are you talking about?"

"This is going to sound absolutely insane, but I have an idea."

**Annabeth,**

"Here's your cup of tea, Annabeth."

I turned around to see Azabella.

We had maybe twenty minutes until the seamstresses would sweep in and take it all away.

The beautiful dress.

The headdress that had been my mother's, which would be locked up like it had been before.

The gorgeous shoes.

And the little owl anklet that I had for good luck.

I wasn't girly by a long shot, but I _had_ loved my wedding dress.

This room would be left vacant like it had been before until I had someone new to marry, and everything inside of it would be packed up.

The clothes would be locked up in dressers. The flowers would be moved to another room. The wine would be put up again to age. The seamstress' tools would be put back up in Olivia's state of the art fashion room. The cookies for when I got nervous would be eaten, and the decorations would be used in another party.

It would all disappear, like none of it had ever happened.

I would give the golden anklet back. I would tear down the countdown, and July 31 would come and pass like any other day.

It would be gone, like I had wanted for so long.

But was this much of a step-up?

There would be another prince.

Another set date.

Another seamstress to work on a wedding dress.

More cookies and wine to calm me down.

And there would be another calendar on the wall telling me when it would all happen.

I saw now that I was still trapped. My captor would just get another name.

"Thank you, Azabella," I took the steaming cup, which was a relief to the cold room.

"Do you want to try it on one last time?" Azabella motioned towards the finished wedding gown, which hung proudly, waiting for it's bride to fill it.

My hand instinctively ran over the white fabric, remembering the days I used to cry in it as I thought about my future life with Luke.

I kept thinking of that dream of how I would live with Luke.

The vacant kiss I would never receive.

The tears I'd never shed.

The baby that would never be born.

I shook my head without realizing it.

"It's better not to. I don't want to look red and puffy from crying when I tell Ollie and Zee."

Azabella nodded as she picked up the dress and placed it back in the grand dresser, where it would stay for maybe a year.

...maybe longer.

"Who do you think it'll be? The man I marry, I mean."

"I don't know, Princessa," Azabella smiled, "But you are going to be fine. This time we will see the man you will marry, not blindly guess that he'll turn out well."

I smiled weakly, knowing Azabella would joke about that for years to come.

"And I think you have someone you want, whether you want to admit it or not. Someone you love most in the world."

"I can't marry one of your peanut butter cookies, Bella. If I could, I would have eloped years ago."

"Funny, Annabeth," Azabella shook her head, "You know what I'm talking about, Wise Owl."

"Why is it that everyone is coming out of the woodwork to say that I love Percy now?" I complained as I sat down on the creme sofa.

Azabella smiled at me, crossing her arms.

"What?"

"I never said Percy, Annabeth."

I blushed and looked down to the cup in my hand.

"I wouldn't mind having him as a son-in-law though, if you're offering."

More blood ran to my cheeks, and I forced more of my attention to the drink to stop blushing.

I was about to say something witty in return, but I was flooded with seamstresses instead.

"We heard about the wedding! How devastating!"

"What a jerk!" only she didn't say _jerk_.

"_Lynn!"_

"How are you?"

"Do you need a tissue?"

_The triplets._

They weren't triplets of course. They weren't even _related_.

But the looked then same.

They all wore the extravagant fashions from Greece. They all wore a lot of make-up, with their lips always painted an unflattering ruby red. They kept their hair in crazy-up dos with nick-jacks in them, from flowers to fake butterflies. And every single one of them tried so hard to tan that they ended up being burned.

They had the same personalities.

They all laughed the same, with the forced high-pitch. They all gossiped so that you would be an idiot to tell them _anything_. They were dramatic, and they thought that Olivia was a goddess for "introducing _real_ fashion to our kingdom!" Sometimes, if you didn't pay attention, their voices would blend together so that you couldn't tell who was saying what.

And they all drove me insane in the same ways.

I tried to respond to their questions, but my mind swirled them around together, making me sick.

"Girls," Azabella was one of the only ones who could talk to them without wanting to pass out, "Princess Annabeth needs some time. She isn't ready to talk about it just yet."

"Of course!"

"We completely understand, Annabeth."

"We are here for you in such an _awful time_!"

They started to back away, and, as they continued to talk, nausea consumed me again.

It was all I could do to run out of the room without puking on the shoes they had sent so long making perfect.

After seeing I was far enough, I gripped onto the staircase banner and took deep breaths, trying to calm myself down again. I thought of my soothing things.

Eli.

The cool water in the ocean.

Laughing with my friends in the garden.

...Percy.

But it wasn't until I thought of Percy that my sickness subdued.

I began to dread telling my siblings and friends. If I couldn't handle the triplets, I couldn't handle telling people I loved. People who really wanted to help me, to hug me or make jokes that I should be happy now.

"Are you alright, Princess Annabeth?"

I looked up to see Jennifer, one of the servants.

"Uh, yeah," I lessened my grip on the banister and straightened my spine, "Has my father called for a meeting yet?"

"No, Princess Annabeth, I believe he is in a meeting."

"Oh."

That was different. I had anticipated that my father would be calling to see me immediately after the Luke ordeal.

"Is that all, My Lady?"

"Actually, have you seen Prince Perseus anywhere?"

"I'm afraid not. When I went to deliver breakfast this morning, he was already gone."

"Gone?" I suddenly felt sick all over again.

"His things were still there. But it looked like he hadn't been in the room since dawn."

"Uh, thank you, Jennifer."

She bowed, but, before I could tell her that she didn't gave to do that, she was gone.

I went to the study room, where I knew no one would come today, all soothing their hangovers. And I picked up a book which had just arrived from Greece, about the importance of representation and democracy. I couldn't stay focus though.

Finally, I put the book away and started roaming through the castle, looking for Percy.

I checked all of his usual hiding spots.

The wall.

The beach.

The forest.

...the kitchen where Azabella had a new plate of deserts ready (which I may or may not have eaten)

Everywhere.

But no Seaweed Brain.

"So much for being here today," I mumbled as I finally collapsed on the bench in the gardens, watching as sunset approached.

"There she is!"

I looked up to see my second two best friends, Thalia and Reyna.

Both looked awful, or at least compared to how they usually looked.

Reyna's high cheekbones brought more attention to her tired face, which wasn't a good thing. Her brown eyes were blood shot, and she wore Thalia's clothes, which were baggy on her lean frame. And she looked like she hadn't slept a wink. It was weird not not see her as the intimidating warrior I knew and loved her as.

Thalia looked better though. Half of her hair was curly and the other side was the straight as a pin she always had. She was wearing her usual clothes, which shows the contrast between her muscular frame and Reyna's lean looked the most tired out of all of us.

I had been dreading having to hear them say how sad it all was, having to tell them the truth about how Katarina didn't just get butterflies in her stomach from the wedding but got kicks from a baby.

But I suddenly couldn't remember why as they ran towards me, hugging me for dear life.

"We heard!"

"Are you okay?"

_Here goes nothing_, I told myself before divulging my entire sob sorry, pity or no pity.

**Percy has an idea?**

**Seaweed Brain?**


	14. Chapter 14

_**Percy,**_

_Where are you, Percy? I haven't seen you in days._

_-Annabeth_

I folded the letter up and shoved it in my pocket.

This morning, someone had knocked on my door.

No, not _someone_. Annabeth.

I knew it would be Annabeth, so I froze up and didn't make a sound, barely even took a breath. But she knew me and knew I was there, so she shoved a letter underneath my door. I waited until I knew that she had finally left before I came to the door and accepted the small piece of paper in Annabeth's sprawled script.

It was to be expected that she wonder where I was, why I hadn't been around, and what I had been doing. And it was even more obvious that she would get mad about having not told her and to be avoiding her.

So, I had been expecting this letter for three days now.

But I couldn't talk to her. I couldn't see her. I couldn't talk to her especially.

Not when I could blow it all to Hades.

No, I had not been through all of this for that.

Not just the three days of deliberation and interrogation

But the last ten years.

I had not gone through all of this to mess it all up.

And I had never lied to Annabeth, not really. I couldn't hold it back, it would be like word vomit. I wouldn't be able to hold it back for long. She would quickly understand that there was a reason I was still here, a reason I was busy during the day time. And a reason that I held things back from her.

I glanced back to the sundial to make sure of the time.

She would be hunting with Thalia by now, trying to avoid all of the people who had swarmed around her to apologize for the end to her engagement. I was lucky not to be home right now, where I was surrounded by people who were just waiting for a reason to freak out, especially my eldest sister, Abbalee. But, even here, people had come to apologize for my pain with Katarina.

People I didn't even know where crying for me like we had been friends our entire lives.

"Good morning, Son. Have you eaten?" my father asked as we started to walk through the hallway together.

"Yes."

"Did you see Annabeth at breakfast?"

"I ate in my room."

"You'd think you'd be spending a lot of time with her, considering your objective here.."

"I don't want to…_blab_, Father."

"Why not? If this works out, it would be easy for her to figure out," King Paul laughed.

"If it _doesn't_ work out. You know King Frederick has never really liked me. Not after I taught his baby girl how to kill."

"She needed to know."

"Doesn't matter. She was his little Wise Owl until I met her. Now, she's grown up."

"She would have grown up anyway, Percy."

"I know that. You know that. He probably even knows that. But I am someone to blame, you know that," I continued to walk, putting my hands in my pockets.

"Don't be so grumpy, Little Guppy. Everything will be fine."

For him.

For _him, _everything will be fine.

Because he has absolutely no investment in this.

This is the rest of my life that King Frederick is going to decide.

It is my entire happiness.

And he could easily shake his head.

And I would go home, and I would find a new bride. Jamelle probably, and Rachel would prophesize a different future for me at my wedding, which was our land's customs. And there would be a different child born, not the little twins that Aphrodite had showed me.

It wouldn't change King Frederick at all, he would be absolutely fine. None of this would change anything for him in _any way._

And it would change _everything_ for me.

"I know," I nodded, digging my fingernails into my palm.

My father clapped me on the back, smiling to himself like he had just made a brilliant parent move.

"So, when is he going to decide?"

"Today. He's had three days already and should have decided already. But he'll send us out for a while before making a choice. Today is your final argument, Perce."

Argument?

That wasn't the way I would want to start my relationship with the man who could end up as my father-in-law.

Yeah, that's what I'm doing.

Begging- yes, on my knees begging- for Annabeth's hand in marriage and awaiting a response that would never seem to come.

How long could he do this?

_Hours?_

_Days? _

_Weeks?_

_Months?_

I could barely take three minutes.

Much less _months._

"My final plea before he chooses my fate."

"Don't be so hard on him, Perseus. This is his little girl. When you have a daughter, you will understand."

_Little Elpida._

The younger and female twin, with bright grey eyes and bouncing blonde curls.

I had that dream only twice, but I could describe that little baby's face like I had the dream _two hundred _times.

"I guess."

_**Annabeth,**_

"Πριγκίπισσα Αγνότητα χαμογέλασε επειδή τοποθετούσαν το βαρύ στέμμα στο κεφάλι, δείχνοντας ότι ήταν μια βασίλισσα τώρα. Αλλά δεν ήταν η πλούσια κόμη που έκανε το χαμόγελό της. Ήταν ο βασιλιάς της, Alex. Όλοι χαμογελούσαν σήμερα. Το βασίλειο. Ο πρίγκιπας, ο οποίος είχε Αγνότητα έχει αρραβωνιαστεί πριν παντρευτούν, ενώ μακριά.

Ήταν μια ευτυχής κατάληξη που είχαν πάντα προσευχόταν για αλλά ποτέ δεν αναμένεται."

_Princess Chastity smiled as they placed the heavy crown on her head, showing that she was a queen now. But it wasn't the lavish crown that made her smile. It was her king, Alex. Everyone smiled today. The kingdom. The prince, who had been Chastity's betrothed before marrying while away. It was a happy ending that they had always prayed for but never expected._

I closed the book and thought to Percy.

I had finished it in spite of him. For him not being here with me.

For adamantly avoiding me.

But it felt wrong to finish it without him, to not laugh and correct him when he made huge mistakes that could change the story line completely.

Where was my Seaweed Brain?

How could he do this?

He knew I needed a friend, _him_ in particular, and he knew that it was a miracle he was still here after three days. He'd be lucky to stay for another two days, and luck had never been our strong suit. He himself had admitted that he wouldn't get to stay long and he wished he could stay longer!

So, why would he avoid me like I was the plague?

He didn't even come out for breakfast when Azabella made her famous bacon, which Percy loves so much.

I wanted to be mad-and was pretty mad- at him, but I would have forgotten it all if he had just come up and sat beside me, asking about the book like nothing had happened.

In honesty, I kept waiting for that to happen.

But it didn't.

So, I climbed off the wall, getting my dress stuck between two rocks for a moment, earning me a small rip as I wriggled free. Imagining how Olivia would react if she saw the rip, I began to make my way to the castle.

But I didn't worry myself about that too much.

She would already be mad at me for going hunting with Thalia this morning. So, a simple tear in a dress wouldn't vex her enough for her to crack, which she has been doing since my father had received the official document from Luke, telling us that the engagement was officially off and that I probably needed to return the golden anklet.

I decided to take the long way towards my room, well the official way instead of my secret passages.

And then I saw him.

Percy and his father were talking in front of the door to the throne room, and it looked like King Paul was trying his hardest to calm Percy down.

I froze, not exactly sure what to do.

Call out to him?

Walk over there and confront him?

Run to my room and ignore him like he's avoided me?

All were pretty good solutions, so I got stuck in between them all, just peeking over the corner.

All I could manage to do was add another title to Percy.

_Titles for Prince Perseus._

_Prince._

_Friend._

_Brother._

_Seaweed Brain._

_And the one who can make Princess Annabeth stupid._

"Son, you can calm down. In only fifteen minutes, we will have our answer. I'll meet you back here then," King Paul continued to reassure Percy.

_Our answer?_

Our answer to _what?_

"Okay, Dad," Percy told him, and I began to hear King Paul walk towards the other hallway to the guest wing.

But Percy stayed where he was.

I forced past the fog and brought my brain back to life, trying to figure out what to do.

_Turn around._

My body followed the instructions and started to slowly walk away, trying not to seem conspicuous.

"Annabeth?"

I froze, cursing under my breath.

Now, I _had_ to talk to him.

"There you are," I twirled around to look at the prince.

"Annabeth, can I talk to you for a second?" Percy quickly started walking towards me.

_No._

"Sure."

Percy opened his mouth to speak but stopped before he could say anything.

"Are you alright, Percy?"

"I just…" Percy closed his eyes, not sure how to continue.

"Where have you been all this time? No one has seen you, or, if they have, they wouldn't admit it to me," I began.

"Well…" Percy began, and I continued to stare at him expectantly, "Promise you won't hit me."

"What?"

And then Percy responded.

I couldn't think.

Percy.

_Percy kissed me._

I got weak in my knees, and Percy had to wrap his arms around my waist to keep me from falling.

…and then I realized the weirdest part.

I _liked_ it.

And I… was_ kissing back._

"Wah-" I tried to get my brain functioning again as Percy's lips left me, "What was th-that?"

"Will you marry me?"

This broke the fog.

"Have you lost your mind, Perseus?"

"Your dad is about to make your decision _again_. And I want _you_ to make the decision, Annabeth. If you don't want to marry me, I'll drop out. I'll tell your father that I changed my mind, and I'll go home. And things will go back to normal."

Suddenly, it all came to me.

The last ten years to be exact.

His protective nature of me.

The way he always smiled when I was around.

And probably why he had hated Luke.

As I stared at Percy, I suddenly saw it all.

The obvious truth that I had so long missed.

_Percy._

_Loved._

_Me._

"So, Princess Annabeth," Percy put his forehead against mine and looked directly in my eyes, "Please, will you marry me?"

Percy was almost crying.

He was afraid I'd say no.

And, deep down, I was afraid I would, too.

What did _I _feel?

If you had asked me about two minutes ago, I would explain that I had no clue.

If you asked me now…

"Well, um…"

I was trying to get the words off my tongue, but I couldn't get my brain to function.

I wanted to push him off of me and answer with a "Give me some time to think." But I couldn't. If I pushed it off once, I would push it off again and again until my time had run out.

_Think, Annabeth, think. What do you _want_ to say?_

What did I want?

Something I hadn't been asked in so long.

I could do it, I could marry him. I could have children with him and run a country with him.

But my question wasn't, _Could I do it?_

My question was _Do I love him?_

For years, I had blocked off such a possibility and denied it. I had locked that part of my brain up for so long that I had forgotten how to unlock it and think about that question. I had always said that we were just friends, and I loved him as so. But was I just saying that?

Had they right all along?

Or was my love for Percy only as a friend?

I was thinking about my life with him when I suddenly realized I was thinking about the wrong thing.

So, I thought of my life without him.

I thought about going to breakfast without him saving the scrambled eggs for me. I thought about crying without him to comfort me. I thought of days without his goofy smile to light it up. And I thought about kisses that would never measure up to the one he had just given me.

And then I finally got my answer.

I leaned in to kiss Percy again, and he smiled against my lips.

_Yes._

"Can I-" I cut him off by kissing him again, "take that as a yes?"

_Titles for Perseus._

_Prince._

_Friend._

_Brother._

_Seaweed Brain._

_And the one who can make Princess Annabeth stupid._

…_and, best of all, future husband._

Well, if my father allows it.

But he owes me by now.

If he does say no, it can take me less than five minutes to march in there and change his mind.

It's a perk of being the youngest daughter and the one to look exactly like our mother, who he still misses.

"If my dad says yes."

Percy smiled and swirled me around like he had the first day he had gotten here.

I tried to think of when I had fallen in love with him.

I knew I hadn't always been in love with him and that there really was a time when I had seen him only as a brother. Had it just been growing and growing for the last ten years until I finally accepted it or had there been a precise moment where I had fallen in love with Prince Perseus?

I didn't know.

I didn't really care.

I loved him now, and that was what mattered.

"I love you, Annabeth," he whispered.

"I love you, too, Percy."

He leaned in to kiss me, but then the grand clock ticked to twelve.

"I've got to go see your father."

"I know."

He looked at me questioningly.

"I might have been spying from around the corner."

Percy shook his head and kissed the top of my head.

"_Might_?"

"I really wouldn't call it _spying_. I would call it _listening_ or _noticing._"

"I love you. You are crazy, but I love you."

"_I'm_ the crazy one?"

"I'll see you as soon as I get out," Percy kissed the top of my head again and released me.

"You think _I'm_ the crazy one?"

"Here goes nothing," Percy shook his head as he started towards the door, and I was still thinking of how he thought I was the crazy one.

But then I let myself think of what I had just said.

I said _yes._

I said I wanted to marry him.

Oh my gods, I am going to marry Percy!

I felt to the ground and put my head in my hands.

Oh.

My.

Zeus.

I love Percy.


	15. Chapter 15

_**Percy,**_

I suddenly began to miss Annabeth as I looked up to her father, and my confidence that I had gotten from Annabeth telling me she loved me suddenly evaporated into thin air.

King Frederick had always seemed nice to me, maybe he wasn't so great with his kids after Athena left but I could see that he had tried in recent years. He looked like the kind of guy my mother would hire as a tutor, kind and smart.

But I had seen him as a father.

Not as a king.

Suddenly, my entire opinion about him changed.

I suddenly saw where Zee had gotten his intimidation skills.

_Like father like son._

King Frederick had his lips formed in a line, and his athletic frame was decked out in the kingly attire that probably outweighed the aging man. His sandy blonde hair was hidden underneath a heavy golden crown, and, even though he was talking to my father, his brown eyes were unmistakably watching my every move.

As my father finished out his little speech, King Frederick thought it over, as his annoying secretary looked at me like I was crazy for wanting to marry someone like Annabeth.

"So, Perseus," Frederick turned towards me, "You want to marry my daughter?"

I swallowed nervously.

"Yes, I do."

"Why?"

I felt paralyzed, but I somehow got my voice working again.

"I love her, King Frederick," I forced myself not to hide behind my father like I used to when I was a kid and a visiting king would intimidate me.

King Frederick continued to think it over, and he studied me, as if trying to see through my skin and find what was hiding in my heart. Instinctively, I froze up as I noticed that, and I forced myself to be natural since that was what he was looking for. And I was currently at his disposal.

"But does she love you, Perseus?" King Frederick made it clear that it was rhetorical, and I began to worry that I was shaking like a leaf.

And then he looked at me, directly in my eyes, and he nodded like I had just given him an answer.

"So she does…" King Frederick pursed his lips as he thought of his daughter.

He and Annabeth hadn't been really close.

When Athena was called back, he finally noticed just how much Annabeth looked like his ex-wife, and that made things hard for them. Eventually, they learned to be close again. But not like they used to be. Annabeth subconsciously kept waiting for him to snap again, for him to shun her to her room and make an effort not to see his children who all looked like the love who was oh-so-gone now.

But Annabeth was still his little girl.

If I had been in his place, I would have been just as hesitant, especially with how it had worked out with her last fiancé.

"You _are_ a good boy," King Frederick began, mainly to himself, "And you will be king. You will treat her right…"

King Frederick began to list off the good qualities about me, and I bit my tongue as it came to the bad qualities about me.

I suddenly began to worry that his vote would be a 'No'. That, after everything we had been through, her father would simply say no to us. That he would inform me to marry someone else and that it was time I went home. That not even Annabeth could change his mind once James had started on him.

It just couldn't happen.

I know Aphrodite loves me to have some drama in my life, but she couldn't be cruel like that could she?

_Yes, yes, she could._

As he began to list off my flaws, fear seized over me.

There were so many!

I'm impulsive. Ridiculous. And I can be an absolute idiot.

And those are only the things I could really hear through my panic.

But then the infamous king suddenly stopped naming off qualities about me, and he stared right into my eyes, shock evident.

"You're-you're…" King Frederick stared at me in disbelief, "_scared."_

"Well, Your Highness," my stomach twisted as I took a step closer to him to begin, "I cannot live without your daughter. We have told you of how it would benefit both kingdoms by permitting us to marry. But that is not the reason I have chosen to ask to marry your daughter. There are plenty of princesses that I could marry that could benefit my kingdom."

King Frederick raised his eyebrow for me to continue.

"I want to marry your daughter because I _love_ her. It is not because it is convenient or because we have a family connection."

King Frederick continued to stare, and I couldn't tell if I had proved that I really was an idiot or if my feelings for Annabeth had improved anything at all.

"James?"

The sectary looked up from his desk and quickly stood up to bow.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Get the proper paperwork. We have an engagement to make official."

My smile grew.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"You hurt her just _once_, and I am personally sending Zee to kill you as slowly as possible. Is that understood?"

I nodded quickly.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Two Weeks Later…<strong>_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Annabeth,<strong>_

Still sore from the pins being stuck in my while they were measuring me to redo my wedding dress, I slowly walked through the gardens and sat down at my favorite bench.

I took long deep breaths of the Jasmine-scented air to try to get the smell of the _Wedding Room_ out of my lungs.

As soon as my father had given the word, gossip had spread through the castle like a wild fire. I basically had to sprint to be able to be the one to tell Reyna and Thalia, who had luckily been swimming instead of hanging around the castle. And I had barely had time to inform my beloved little brother before the triplets had come to get the _Wedding Room _up and running again.

And I only had one beloved day before they learned that Percy had seen me in my wedding dress and they needed to alter it.

They didn't have long either.

Today was July 31st, the day I was supposed to be marrying Luke. But everyone seems to have forgotten about that. My ex-fiancé has been pushed aside for a new fiancé, and August 22nd has taken the place of July 31st in their wedding-based minds.

It was a while away, but it felt like the wedding was only tomorrow.

…and I still had to tell Olivia that Eli wanted to pull a _Persephone_ and spent half of the year with me and the other half with dad and Olivia.

"You okay?" Percy whispered in my ear, sending shivers down my spine despite the fact that it was a burning July.

"No," I shook my head.

But I couldn't help but smile though as Percy kissed my neck and came to sit beside me on the bench.

"What's wrong, Annabeth?"

I pointed towards my stomach, where the majority of the pins had pierced me.

"Wedding dress fitting. Pins. Pain," I moaned as I rested my head on Percy's shoulder.

"And I thought packing was bad," he smiled as he kissed the top of my head.

"Oh right," my face fell, "when are you leaving?"

"Not long. But you're basically only two days behind me."

"A _week._"

"Which is only a few days."

"But, when you're gone, I'm going to be attacked by the wedding people! If I have to be asked one more time if I want to wear rose perfume or jasmine, I am going to go on a psychotic rampage!" I moaned as I leaned even closer to Percy.

"How hard is a wedding?"

"A _marriage_ is easy. The _wedding _is pure Hades. But you're lucky to not have to do any of it."

"Hey, _I'm marrying you_."

"But have you been forced to listen to Olivia wedding rant? Or have_ the triplets_ been sticking you with pins and drowning you in white fabric? Or-"

"Okay, okay," he nodded, doing everything but covering my mouth, "I get it, Annabeth."

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Shut up."

He smiled as he leaned down to kiss me.

And I was so wrapped up in that that I didn't notice when he opened my hand and slid a ring on my middle finger.

I was still in that fog that I usually went into after he kissed me when I ran my hand through his hair and noticed the ring on my finger.

I gasped and continued to stare at the ring.

"How-? How did you?"

"Well, Olympia has the ruby ring. Your brother gave his fiancé another ring. And your dad realized that it wasn't doing any good in an old jewelry box," Percy smiled at me, and I leaned in to kiss him again.

But I couldn't help but peak my eyes open and look at the ring which my father had given to Athena over two decades although.

"I love," he cut me off by kissing me again, "you."

_**No, not over yet! Tune in next time!**_


	16. Chapter 16

_**Yeah, so it's a little **_**drabbley **_**(I say it's a word), but it's **_**here**_**.**_

_**Annabeth,**_

"Annabeth?"

"Rachel?"

I turned around to see the redhead.

I had to remind myself of her new status, that she was the new Oracle. But I still saw that nine year old girl who had been so strange.

So defiant.

Rachel Elizabeth Dare.

Dare fit her so well.

When the princess was born, she had dared what she was supposed to be just by being a girl instead of the son everyone had planned on. But, when she declined the marriage her parents had set up for her with Percy, she had dared her parents. At thirteen, she finally dared everything and ran away. How she ended up here I'll never know, but I knew that I couldn't imagine my life without that.

"Annabeth," her face lit up.

She looked the same as how I had known her.

Her red hair was messy and pulled behind her head with a green ribbon. Her dress was green and elegant, but purple paint was permanently splattered on the hem. Rachel refused to wear shoes, and her golden tattoos, which made her officially the oracle, stretched from her back to her fingertips.

I smiled as the oracle, who had been talking to Princess Abbalee, abandoned the annoying blonde and started running to me. She hugged me tightly, barely leaving enough room for me to breathe, but I didn't care.

"It's been forever!"

"I know, I'm sorry about that," I told her truthfully.

I _was_ sorry.

Knowing that Luke would keep me away from here, I had barely talked to any of them.

Rebecca.

Clarisse, the head general here.

Chris, the only one who can keep Clarisse in line.

The Stoll Twins.

Katie.

Grover.

Everyone.

I didn't want to get too close and have to pull away abruptly.

"Well, it doesn't matter now. We'll be living about three feet away from each other now. You'll _have_ to put up with me."

I smiled.

"I can't believe you're marrying Seaweed Brain and I had to hear about it from _Abbalee!_"

I tried not to laugh.

"Sorry, Rachel."

Rachel tried to stay mad.

But it's pretty hard to keep a straight face when you see Grover running.

Before I could say anything, I was attacked in another hug from another redhead.

"Hey, Grover," I tried not to laugh.

"You're okay?" Grover's cold hand was brought to my forehead."

"Yes?" I squeaked as I brought his hand away.

"Well, you must have a fever if you're marrying Percy!"

I hit Grover, which just made him laugh more.

"Be nice, Grover," Rachel tried, but she quickly began to snicker.

"Shut up!" I hit her arm.

"Yeah, Grover, shut up!" a little green hand hit her husband's arm.

My smile widened as I looked to her.

Juniper.

Her green skin seemed to glow in the summer sun. Her green eyes were happy but trying to seem serious as she scolded her husband. Juniper's amber hair swirled around her elf-like face, and she kept reaching up to fix it. With her petite little body, it was sometimes hard to remind myself that she had been married to Grover for a year now.

"What is he in trouble for?"

I smiled as I hugged her.

"He's making fun of my fiancé."

Juniper glared at Grover.

"Just for that, I'm making you wake up for the baby the first night its home."

My eyes widened as I looked to Juniper.

"Baby?"

"In six months," Juniper placed a hand on her petite stomach.

"Congratulations!" I smiled as I hugged her again, trying to force out the image of what their child would probably look like.

I was imagining a baby that looked like it should be a Christmas decoration, with red hair and green skin.

"We've told Annabeth. Now, we've got to go track down the father."

Juniper turned back and glared at him.

"For that, I'm telling the baby to be twins."

Grover swallowed nervously.

"That's my girl," Rachel smiled as she nudged Juniper.

Juniper's pink lips formed a smile.

"So, when do you think you and Percy'll be giving the little devil," Juniper poked her stomach, "in here a cousin?"

I blushed to the shade of a tomato.

It still felt weird to talk about Percy like that. For the last ten years, I had been denying adamantly that I was in love with him, and I had been just hit someone whenever they said anything like that. But I didn't have to deny it anymore. I had finally admitted it.

And, one day very soon, I _would_ marry Percy. And I _would_ have a child with him. And I _would_ spend the rest of my life completely in love with him.

But it still took some getting used to.

"Um, is there _anything_ else we can talk about?"

Rachel pursed her lips as she thought, but she finally shook her head.

"I can't think of anything."

I was about to start spouting off possible subjects, but then I felt two arms wrap around my waist and kiss the side of my head.

"Did I miss anything?"

I began to glow as much as Juniper.

I shook my head before anyone could say anything.

"No, Percy."

Rachel pouted, obviously upset that she didn't get to make Percy blush, too.

"Has Abbalee found you yet?"

"No, why?"

"You haven't heard?" Juniper asked.

"Heard what?"

"She moved into the room beside yours to prep you for the wedding. From what I heard her planning, you're barely going to get a second alone to get nervous about your wedding. It's what she did to ignore getting nervous on her wedding day, so she thinks everyone else needs to do."

"Sounds like Abbalee," I mumbled, and, as if she could hear me, I suddenly saw a beautiful princess coming towards me.

Had she gotten prettier?

Was it possible?

Her porcelain skin was perfect, highlighting her flushed cheeks and ruby lips. Sometimes, with her high cheekbones and perfectly sloped nose, I wondered if Percy's mother had an affair when she got pregnant with Abbalee or Rebecca since they were so different. As always, she wore jewelry that her husband had given her so that she could brag about how he spoiled her with her magenta gown that looked like it had taken more effort to design than my wedding dress.

I had to remind myself that the perfect princess, or queen shall I say, was a mother of an infant daughter, Alisonna. But, with everything that was so amazing about her, it felt unfair that she also have a perfect daughter to add to the list.

"Annabeth!" her thin hand waved towards me as she sped up, of course showing off the diamond bracelet.

Percy's arms tightened around my waist to keep me from running away.

"Let me go," I whisper-hissed.

"You know I can't do that, Annie," he whispered back.

He smiled towards his sister.

"Oh, hey, Abbalee."

"Hello, Persues," she told him absent-mindly as she came up to me, placing her hands on my cheeks.

As Percy began to retreat, she came closer to me.

"Look how grown up you are, Annabeth!" Abbalee did that annoying thing again where she treated me like I was seven.

Oh God, how many times is this going to happen?

I smiled weakly, resisting the urge to strangle her.

"And you're marrying my little brother!" Abbalee's eyes began to water, and she pulled me into a hug that made it almost impossible for me to breathe.

My face was about to turn blue when Abbalee finally let me go.

"Your dress just came in!"

My stomach flipped.

I hadn't seen the finished dress yet.

"I want to see you in it!" Abbalee giggled happily.

"Uh, well…" I pushed my hair behind my ear.

"Come on, Annie," Juniper nudged me.

"I'm in," Rachel raised her hand.

"I guess."

Before I could even think about what I had just done, Abbalee had wrapped her hand around my wrist and began to pull on me.

"Good luck, Annabeth!" Percy called out, trying not to laugh.

_You are so dead,_ I mouthed as I turned back to look at him.

"I love you, too!" he smiled.

_**Percy,**_

I watched the moon reflect off of the kingdom like it was all glass.

The humid summer night blanketed my skin like the hugs Abbalee had been attacking me with as soon as I got home. Candles weren't needed with the bright moon, and the stars seemed to be looking perfect just for me, not that I would flatter myself that the gods liked me enough for that.

It felt like an eternity, and I had to remind myself that it was only one summer.

One long, eventful summer.

But the summer seemed like nothing compared to tomorrow.

Aside from marrying Annabeth, the girl I had been in love with who had been engaged to my arch enemy only a month ago, it was my eighteenth birthday. When I had been born, the oracle had proclaimed that I would become king on my eighteenth birthday.

It was never said that I absolutely _had_ to become king that day.

But the oracle had prophesized a lot about me.

That I would be the best king our kingdom has ever seen. That I would have an amazing queen. That my first-born child would be a son, who would be the second best king. That I would have a daughter who would keep a catastrophic war from happening.

And no one wanted to take the chance.

So, we kept to the tradition, though I would hate to be the one to tell Annabeth that our first child would have to be a son.

"Perce?"

I turned around from the balcony to see Annabeth.

"Hey, you're up?"

"I can't sleep," Annabeth came out to stand beside me.

I smiled as I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close.

"I'm nervous."

"Why?" I smiled as I kissed the top of her head.

"Tomorrow."

"I know, I know. I'm going to be older than you! No wonder you're nervous!"

Annabeth laughed loudly.

"You're insane, Perseus. Absolutely insane."

I paused.

"Annabeth, I know you didn't come in here just to tell me I'm insane. What's wrong?"

Annabeth hesitated.

I hated when she hesitated.

"Is it wrong to be nervous? I mean, I love you, and I can't imagine life without you…But I'm still nervous," Annabeth made a point of nuzzling closer to me so that I wouldn't let her go.

"It's not _wrong_ to be nervous, Annabeth."

"But you're not!" Annabeth left my grasp this time and propped herself up to sit on the wall.

I hesitated, weighing my options.

I hadn't gotten a chance to be nervous, I guess.

What time wasn't spent working with the wedding or being with Jason and Nico, who I wouldn't see for at least six months, was spent being surrounded by people.

And being nervous wasn't on the to-do list.

It didn't feel fair.

I had faced annoying teenage sisters. Monsters. Taunting friends. A cheating fiancé, who got pregnant with my arch enemy. I told Annabeth I loved her, which was worse than a combination of all of the above.

But I was shaking as I thought about my wedding tomorrow.

"You're not, right?" Annabeth's face relaxed.

"I'm nervous," I admitted as I sat down beside me, and she continued to stare at me.

"You-You are?"

I nodded.

Suddenly, Annabeth hugged me, almost knocking me to the ground below.

"Oh thank the gods!"

I stared down at her.

"What?" I tried not to laugh.

"You're not perfect!"

"Okay?"

"You have been absolutely perfect since we got engaged! Never nervous. Never complaining. Nothing!"

"You're upset because I didn't complain?"

Annabeth nodded, and I continued to stare.

"Because I _didn't_ complain?"

"Yeah, it makes sense."

"No, not really, Annabeth," I laughed, and Annabeth leaned on me.

_**I know it's short, but I planned on having the wedding in this chapter. But then the wedding got too long. It's coming up in the next chapter though!**_


	17. Chapter 17

_**The Wedding**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Annabeth,<strong>_

"Put the cookie down, Annabeth," Abbalee told me, and I groaned as I did so.

How could she even see me?

At six AM, someone dragged me out of bed (I was too tired to remember who it was, though I _do_ remember that they had blonde hair, which is like looking for a needle in a haystack here). I'll admit that I _did_ get a chance to eat this morning, but it was hard to eat when I kept falling asleep on the table. When I had finally woken up, I had immediately wanted to eat.

But, every time I reached for food, Abbalee would slap my hand away.

Wrapping the silk robe tighter around me, I sat down on the couch.

Everyone else was busy, and I did mean _everyone_. Right now, I would have _rejoiced_ to express my fears to _Jason. _

So, I sat alone to succumb into my nerves.

By the time my body was becoming numb as my fears worsened and worsened, Abbalee made her grand entrance, holding a white gown in her arms.

"Up, up, Annabeth," Abbalee pulled me up.

As if on cue, everyone suddenly appeared through the doors.

Rachel. Juniper. Olympia. Azabella. Thalia. Reyna. _Everyone_.

In a blur of white fabric, I changed into the dress, not allowed to look at it until it was completely on.

"That's it," Reyna sounded happy as someone untied the silk scarf from my eyes.

I couldn't help but gasp.

I had quickly learned to hate this dress after all the measuring, needles, sweat, and pain that had been put into it, but, in this moment, I took it all back.

I had loved the dress before, but it had somehow gotten a million times better.

The thick straps had been cut down, and, to do that, it had become as light as air. The sweet-heart neckline was the same as it had been before, only with an old necklace from my mother to bring attention to it. The skirt was still wide but not too showy, and they had added a tissue layer to blanket the skirt. But what I really loved about the dress was the belt, which wasn't the traditional blue that was customary for Greece and surrounding areas.

The silk grey ribbon was braided and wrapped around my waist, continuing to flow down my back with the rest of the dress.

I knew that the triplets hadn't really changed anything, not _really_. But something about it felt different.

Felt _better_.

Felt, above all else, _calming._

As I ran my hand over the soft fabric, I thought it all over.

So, maybe I _could_ marry Percy. And maybe, just maybe, the gods would decide that my Soap Opera life had been enough and I could get some peace. And maybe, just maybe, I could let myself be happy…

"You look beautiful, Annabeth," my sister smiled at me, and I began to notice that I was _glowing_ with happiness.

_And I am officially a bride,_ I told myself.

I began to shake like a leaf again.

"Guys, don't you think you should be getting back to work?" Olympia turned back to the rest of the girls, and they quickly took the hint and scurried away.

Olympia waited until they were all gone for her to wrap the silk robe back over me and hand me a peanut butter cookie.

"I love you," I smiled as I big into the cookie and sat down on one of the crème sofas.

Olympia smiled and sat down beside me.

"Calm down, Annabeth," Olympia smiled as she pushed my curly hair out of my eyes.

I nodded as I finished the cookie, happy to have something in my stomach.

"Were you this nervous?"

"I got my nerves out before," Olympia shrugged as she reached for a glass of wine, which I didn't dare taste.

A few cookie crumbs was nothing really, but a wine stain would absolutely drive everyone over the edge.

And I could barely stand without shaking.

Imagine me with a wine glass.

"Abbalee hasn't given me a chance," I tried to laugh, "For Zeus's sake, I didn't get a chance to talk to Percy until last night…"

Olympia rested her hand on mine.

"Is it hard?"

Olympia raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"Getting married. Leaving home. And your friends. And your family. And your life."

"Yes," Olympia admitted, "I mean, I was only gone for a few weeks. But I've already lost count of the times I'd wake up in the middle of the night and want to come talk to you. Or find myself saving the toast at breakfast for Eli. Or crave Azabella's peanut butter cookies."

I suddenly regretted eating because I felt like the contents of my stomach were going to come up again.

"_But_ I've also lost count of the times that Alexander made it okay."

"Made it okay?"

"Made everything alright again. Like talking to me when I can't sleep, or directing me to a friend when it was complaining about him," Olympia smiled, "Or eating the toast so that I didn't feel so insane for saving them. Or even getting up in the middle of the night to make some pastry thing that his country is famous for."

Olympia glowed when she talked about Alexander.

She always had.

For years, I had been comparing myself to her.

Wanting to look like her. Wanting to _be_ like her. And, finally, wanting the love she had.

But this time I realized the final puzzle piece that I had been putting together for years.

I glowed like that when I talked about Percy.

And I always had.

And it took everyone but me realizing it for me to finally open my eyes.

"You're going to be fine, Annie," Olympia tapped my nose like she used to when she wanted to make me mad as kids, "The only one who is really going to have a problem is Zee. Now that you're taking Eli, you're leaving the poor guy all alone."

And Reyna. And Thalia. And Jason. And Nico… and everyone.

It would never be the same.

…because I had gone and grown up.

We all had, I guess.

But I had been the final straw.

I had passed on from teenage-princess to married-queen, and I didn't know where to go next.

I didn't know how to live without everyone.

"It'll be okay," Olympia whispered one last time before we got back up to resume the wedding preparations.

_**Percy,**_

Oh gods.

What if she says no?

What if she walks away?

What if she decides to call it all off and marry someone else?

My mind was swirling as I finally sat down on the couch.

How much longer did I have?

It didn't matter, so I didn't look.

Now, I had been warned that I would get nervous, and I had known it to be true. But this _could_ not be natural.

I felt like my heart was about to beat right out of my chest. Like my stomach was going to fall to my feet. Like my legs were going to give out, and I was going to end up sprawled on the floor. Like my world was spinning, gaining momentum with every passing second.

"Percy?"

I opened my closed eyes to see little Eli standing infront of me.

He looked adorable as always. Olivia had spent forever cutting his shaggy hair and making sure it wouldn't fall into his brown eyes, something she had failed at. He wore what he was supposed to wear, the uncomfortable formal attire that all little princes have to wear, and he kept squirming.

Eli.

Even he seemed nervous about today.

"Oh, hey, Eli," I sat up straighter and tried to calm myself.

"Are you okay, Percy?"

_No_.

"Yeah, just a little nervous."

Eli smiled weakly at me and sat down beside me.

"Do you think you and Annabeth will have children?" Eli asked, not meeting my gaze.

"I hope so. Why do you ask, Eli?" I tried to laugh.

Eli hesitated.

I hate when Annabeth's family hesitates.

"Do you think you and Annabeth will love the baby more than me?"

I felt completely paralyzed.

For almost his entire life, we have been his parents, in a way. And he's never had to share us because he was the only little boy. My parents would have killed to have a little boy of their own, and my sister only had a daughter.

So, what would happen when Eli _wasn't_ the only child around?

I honestly wasn't sure.

Would I really be able to give all of my love to my brother-in-law when there was my own flesh-and-blood in my arms?

"Well, Eli," I began, "Annabeth and I would love the child, or even children. But that's what parents do."

Eli slouched, not liking where this speech was going.

"And we were your parents long before we had our own kids."

Eli smiled and reached up to hug me tightly, making it hard for me to breathe.

But I didn't mind.

It felt nice to have someone calm and happy today, even if it wasn't me.

"Eli? Your mom wants to see you," Zee leaned on the doorframe, smiling that _Zee Smirk_ that I knew so well.

Zee never called Olivia by _Mom_ or really even_ Olivia._ It was usually _Dad's Wife_ or _Eli's Mom._

Eli nodded goodbye to me and ran out the door like the happy little boy he was.

But he didn't understand that, by going to see his mom, he was leaving me with Zee.

Zee had always been intimidating, and he probably always would be. But today, he wasn't intimidating.

He was downright terrifying.

Annabeth was his baby sister. The baby that his mother used to rock to sleep at night. The toddler who had immediately learned to walk because she hated to crawl. The little girl who used to beg Zee to teach her how to use a sword, not that he would.

And now she was a bride.

Who was marrying his _best friend._

"Hey, Zee," I smiled weakly.

"Hey, Perce."

It didn't feel right though.

"We won't get weird around each other, right? Because I'm marrying Annabeth?" I asked hopefully.

"Nah," Zee smiled as he shook his head and went to bite into an apple, "You just might want to stay away from me _today._ I'll get over it soon enough."

I smiled, and Zee held out his hand.

"Good luck, Perseus. You'll need it if you're marrying my sister."

I shook his hand and nodded.

"Good luck to you, too. You've got to handle oblivious Jason now."

"I think I need a drink," Zee told me as he thought about that.

I nodded goodbye to him as he left.

_Here goes nothing_, I bit my tongue as I stood up.

_**Annabeth,**_

While Azabella worked with my hair, I continued to read to Eli.

He loved the stories about Athena, always looking up to smile at me about how I was like her.

It was hard to bite my tongue about her being my mother.

Today, Eli didn't speak much.

I could tell that the little boy was tired, but Olivia wouldn't allow me to lull him to sleep like I really wanted to.

"Poor baby," Reyna smiled as she brushed his blonde hair out of his eyes, "He's tired."

Eli snugged closer to me, pulling my arm over him like I was a blanket.

"Can you put this up for me?" I handed Reyna book I had just finished, motioning to Eli since he was the thing keeping me from doing it myself.

"Of course," Reyna took the book.

She was probably one of the happiest people at my wedding.

Reyna had been trying to get me and Percy together for so long, exposing that girly side underneath that warrior exterior, which was something she would never want to admit exsisted. So, she was happy to have at least reached the objective.

"You need to learn these lines, μωρό," Olivia instructed, trying her hardest to speak _pure_ Greek.

Did she just call me _baby_?

"_Δάγκωσε μου_," I mumbled.

Thalia glared at me immiedately, and Eli looked up at me.

"_Δάγκωσε μου_? I don't know that saying," Olivia held her hand to her head, trying to remember where she would have heard such a thing.

But, unless she had heard what her step-children mumbled when we found out she couldn't speak a word of Greek.

It means, _Bite me._

"Queen Olivia, do you mind getting me that pin you asked me about earlier? I see now that you were quite right about it," Azabella smiled towards the queen, and Olivia's face lit up.

"Of course," Olivia barely had any time to say that before she ran out the door and towards her room.

Azabella waited until she was gone.

"Annabeth!" she hit my shoulder, and everyone erupted into laughter.

"Annabeth, you shouldn't do that," Thalia reprimanded me as she wrapped her blue shawl around herself, freezing.

It was much colder in Percy's kingdom than it was in mine.

I was used to it, in a way, but Thalia had been shivering since we got within three months of the line that marked where Percy's kingdom began.

Everyone's voices became like a blur, mixing together as they continued to tell me that I shouldn't do that anymore.

But then a little hand was raised.

"High five," Eli's voice was tired, but he was smiling.

I smiled as I high-fived my little brother, and this caused everyone to laugh.

I couldn't help it.

I leaned down to kiss the top of my head, getting pastel pink lipstick in his shaggy blonde hair.

"I am going to miss you, Cutie."

I would see him in four months.

Then I would get him for six months.

In June, he would go home, and I probably wouldn't see him until January again.

"You, too, Annabeth," he wrapped his arms around my neck.

It was all I could do not to cry.

As if on cue of me about to break down, the doors swung open to reveal my father.

"Are you ready, My Dear?" my father smiled, smiling proudly at me.

"Almost."

"We have to be down there soon, Annabeth," my father told me.

"And we won't be late, I promise."

"Alright, Annabeth," my father nodded, as he left.

I waited until the door until the door snapped shut.

"We're going to be late," I groaned.

"No, we're not," Azabella quickly went into wedding mode, "Eli, go get your mother, and tell her that we don't have time for the pin."

If you had seen the pin, you would know why I sighed with relief.

"Oh, and wash the lipstick out of your hair."

Eli nodded as he jumped out of my lap and ran towards the door.

"Juniper, I need your help touching up the lipstick. Thalia, get back in your bridesmaid dress. It's not _that_ cold. And, Reyna, please go check on the groomsmen. I have a bad feeling that Jason is doing something stupid."

Reyna stood and nodded immiedately, wrapping herself up in the black shawl that Thalia had left.

And there she was gone in seconds to see what dumb thing Jason was probably doing.

Juniper went to work on painting my lips, and Rebecca helped my maid of honor into her grey silk dress.

And then they all swarmed around me, doing crazy last minutes details that felt unnecessary.

But it felt worth it when Azabella stood me up and unwrapped the silk robe to show the wedding dress underneath.

Everything strangely felt perfect.

Serene even.

My blonde curls were down and cascading down my back. The front of my hair was pulled back gently, and a grey ribbon to match my belt held it in place. My make-up looked natural, like I was just perfect, which I swear to you I'm not, and, despite the objections from Abbalee and Olivia, I had worn the blue rope bracelet that Percy had made for me when we were ten instead of the sapphire bracelet from my father as my _something_ _blue_.

As I stared at myself in the mirror, I probably should have been thinking of my new kingdom. Of how they would probably curse under their breath when they saw that I was wearing white instead of blue. Of how unlucky it was for my mother not to be there to give me the bridal secret, which was really just a bracelet that mothers would give their daughters in this country. Or of how I had been engaged before, which was probably going to be scandalous.

But I didn't think of that.

For the first time, I saw my wedding as a private affair where I pledge the rest of my life to the man I love.

"It's time," Azabella placed her hand on my shoulder blade, and I nodded.

It didn't take long before my father appeared in the doorframe, telling me that we needed to get moving.

The walk to the temple wasn't long.

It stood alone on a hillside, overlooking the castle and the kingdom below. And I could feel the godly enegery buzz through me as I came closer and closer to it.

Down below in the olive grove, I could see the reception being prepared still.

It was customary for the wedding to last a week, but Percy and I had opted to have one big blowout tonight and travel to the lake, where we would stay a week for our honeymoon instead.

So, the party would be legendary, even beating out the beautiful wedding my sister had.

I took my place infront of the large doors, and I gripped on to my father's arm.

"Don't be nervous, Annabeth," my father reassured me, and I nodded, trying not to shake.

_Don't be nervous_, I told myself, _you love Percy. And he loves you, Annabeth_.

But then Thalia handed me my bouquet, and I felt like fainting again.

"And three," one of the triplets told me, "two."

She held up one finger to signify that the doors needed to be opened.

In a grand fashion, the doors were pulled open, and everyone in the temple turned back to look at me.

I suddenly felt paralyzed.

I couldn't move.

And then he looked at me.

Percy's smile formed, and it was all I could do not to run down the aisle.

* * *

><p><em><strong>As you know, I do not write weddings. I <strong>_**can not**_** write them. I have tried and failed miserably, so I didn't want to do that to this story.**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>The Reception<strong>_

_**Annabeth,**_

"I just married the girl of my dreams," Percy whispered in my ear as he handed me a glass of Champaign.

"Where is she?"

Percy laughed as he wrapped his arm around me.

People kept staring, which was quickly getting annoying, but I had to remind myself how rare it was to find people who loved each other getting married.

Usually, your parents chose the man, and you prayed to the gods every day that you would love him.

So, this was like a freak show to them.

"Oh, and did I get those vows right? I have a bad feeling I told you that you were a goat."

Well, he didn't tell me I was a _goat_, but he didn't get them right either.

"You didn't tell me I was a goat."

"Good," Percy kissed the top of my head, and I had to force myself not to blush.

I still wasn't used to him kissing me in front of other people.

Married or not, it still made me blush.

"How much longer do you think we'll have to stay out here?" I leaned into Percy as I looked around the gala that was in full swing.

Actually, it had been in full swing for _four hours._

I had gotten married at ten this morning.

The party started at ten thirty.

That was _twelve hours_ ago.

But they were all still here like it had started ten minutes ago.

Had my feet not ached and had I not been tired, I would have had fun like everyone else. But I was ready to finally get away and let it get through my head that I had married Percy.

It just wouldn't set in yet.

"If I could get a word in with Abbalee, I would ask," he motioned to his older sister, who was bragging about her wonderfully perfect daughter, Allie.

I moaned.

That could take_ hours_ at the minimum.

"I'll go see if I can find Olivia," Percy kissed the top of my head, and I nodded before he started to mingle back into the crowd to find my step-mother.

I was about to go find Juniper when there was a sudden light and heat behind me.

Oh, no.

_Hera._

Over the years, Hera and I had quickly learned to hate each other.

And now I was under her domain.

I was picturing the two headed child she would give me or the years of fighting with Percy when I turned around, about to beg forgiveness to the goddess.

But she wasn't there.

Instead, I saw a 6'3 man who looked like he could have been a twin of Percy.

"Poseidon?"

The god smiled as he walked up to me.

I had to admit that I liked Poseidon more than I liked my mother sometimes.

Athena made it obvious that she hated Percy for his father, but Posiedon had always treated me like I was his daughter.

I could still remember all those times I had been in the water where Posiedon had just of said the world and that would have been the last of me. But he didn't do it.

…My mother wouldn't have been so kind.

"I wanted to deliver my wedding present in person," he smiled as he snapped, and a golden jewelry box appeared in my own hands.

Having had too much bad luck with gifts with the gods, I was hesitant to open the box, and I gasped when I finally opened it.

Posiedon reached inside and put the bracelet around my wrist, smiling as he did so.

The golden bracelet should have been heavy, but it felt like air on my wrist. It glowed like a timid candle, and it illuminated the part of the secluded grove we both stood in. The charms moved like fish in the water. The starfish attached on to me. The seahorses shimmied. The sand dollars tickled my wrist as it moved about, and the pearls shone on their own.

"If I were you, I wouldn't take it off," he looked down to the bracelet, and I suddenly understood why I felt so hot.

The bracelet was getting a reading of me.

To_ protect_ me.

"Thank you, Poseidon," I was about to bow, but he stopped me.

"No bowing among family," he smiled, "And that is not the only gift, my dear."

He reached inside his pocket to produce a necklace box that seemed to be made of seaweed.

"Only it is not for you," he told me as he opened the box.

I gasped once again.

It was the same as mine, in a way.

The necklace glowed, and the chain seemed to be like water. The star fish in the center continued to move around, and the little fish around it seemed to move as well. But it seemed more powerful, like this was too protect something far stronger than me.

"It is amazing, Poseidon, but who is it for?" I asked as he handed me the seaweed box.

"I know I will not get to see either of you for at least a year, and I know that I will miss it."

"Miss what?"

"She will be strong, Annabeth, so will her brother."

"Who is she? And her brother?"

"This, my dearAnnabeth, is for Elpida."

With that, I could feel the heat join the air again.

I held my hand to my eyes just in time for the god to disappear.

_Elpida._

Elpida?

Where did I know that name?

Before I could really think about it, someone wrapped their arm around my waist.

"Who are those from?"

_Percy._

"Your father. He just left."

"Sorry I missed it. Olivia said we can go now."

"Oh," I nodded, shaking off that feeling.

"Are you alright?"

"Uh, yeah," I snapped the box closed, "Just thinking."

_**No, this is **_**not_ the end. It's pretty close._**

**_But _not _the end._**


	18. Our Happily Ever After

_**Annabeth,**_

I groaned as the sun peered through my bed curtains and into my eyes.

I pushed away the sheer curtain and sat up in bed.

First, I went to the closet and put on simple dress and a pair of sandals before unlatching the door to my balcony.

I breathed in the sweet fresh air and took a look outside. The sun was high in the sky, reflecting over the placid lake water, telling me it was almost noon. The small house stood in the very center of a small island in the middle of the large lake, secluded from the rest of the world.

Everything felt like it did three months ago, when Percy had come to my kingdom for the summer.

Everything _but_ the wedding band on my finger.

Sometimes, like now, it didn't feel real.

I was afraid to fall asleep because I was worried I would wake up to see it was all a dream. That I would wake up and it would still be the beginning of the summer, where I still had to marry Luke and Percy still had to marry Katarina. That I would wake up and Percy wouldn't love me…

"You're up?"

I turned around to look at King Persues.

King Persues.

Now, when it goes to his head, I _do_ wish that part wasn't real.

"You let me sleep," I crossed my arms.

"You've never tried to wake you up," Percy laughed as he came to stand beside me.

"Are you okay? It sounded like you were having a nightmare last night."

I hesitated before telling him.

"It happened again."

"Again?"

I nodded.

For the last week, I had been having the same dream over and over again.

"_Agapē!"a girl with intimidating blue eyes and black hair yelled, trying to yank her feet free from the grass growing around them. She seemed to be the youngest one there. The entire group seemed to be seventeen to sixteen, but she looked like she could be fifteen at the maximum._

_A girl with carnation red hair, Agapē, blushed, only she turned green instead of red._

_With that, the girl with black hair raised her hand, and a sudden wind aimed at Agapē ._

"_Not fair, Elise!"_

_Elise smiled._

"_You used your nature magic!"_

"_Guys!"_

_A girl with blonde hair jumped up from her seat by the lake, trying to get her friends to stop fighting. But they didn't even seem to hear her._

_Finally, the girl raised her hand, and two large spheres of the lake's green water started to rise from their place and started to make their way to the fighting teenagers._

_Elise noticed too late._

"_Elpida!" she screamed as the sphere broke, and the water poured down on her._

_Soaked, the two friends seemed frozen as they looked from each other to Elpida._

_As Elise's rage grew and grew, the ground began to rumble, making the boy who had been sitting with Elpida earlier fall off the bench and get covered in the sand. A boy, being the only one who wasn't effected by the earthquake, who seemed to be Elise's brother grabbed her by her waist and started to pull her off, making it all subside._

_All now on the ground, the teenagers looked at each other._

_There was Agapē, who seemed to be healing a flower that she had crushed when she fell on it._

_Elpida, who was helping up the boy she had been sitting beside earlier, Luck as she called him, and pulling her coat back to hide something._

_Luck, who reminded me so much of Luke that it was scary._

_Another boy, who running his hand through his hair as he came to sit by Agapē._

_Elise and her brother, who she called, Nick._

_And then two little twelve year old twins, a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes and a boy with brown eyes and hair, who were so caught up in fencing that they didn't seem to notice the earthquake._

"_You are so weird, Agapē," the nameless boy smiled at her._

"_You really don't fit your name, Philia. I thought Philia meant friendly love," she seemed playful with the way she said it, like it was an ongoing joke for them._

_Philia nudged her._

"_Do you want me to dry you off or not?"_

_Agapē hesitated but finally nodded._

_As he touched her forearm, her cheeks turned green._

_And his cheeks started to turn red._

_Luck began to hum a wedding song in Elpida's ear, and she tried not to blush. _

"_Be nice, Luck," Elpida nudged him._

"_I _am _being nice, Elpida," Luck nudged her back._

"_Then thank the gods I only see you in the summer," she smiled._

"_You know you miss me."_

_Elpida hesitated, showing that she did._

"_I'm going to go calm them down," Elpida nodded towards the twins, knowing that this couldn't be any harder than breaking up fights with her other siblings, all of whom weren't there._

"_I'll come to your funeral," Luck clapped her on the back, and Elpida rolled her grey eyes as she came up to the twelve year old twins._

"_Basilissa? Hercules?"_

"_Basil!"_

"_Harry!"_

_Elpida took the swords while the twins were still yelling about how they hated being called the names her parents had given them even though they fit it perfectly. Basil was just like a superior queen, and Harry was amazingly strong to be only twelve._

"_Elpida!" they yelled together, and then they stopped to yell at each other again._

"_Stop that!"_

_Together again._

"_No, _you_ stop that!"_

_The all tried not to laugh, but it was the best they could all do not to start rolling on the beach laughing._

It was a normal demigod dream, the kind that I thought I had outgrown, but it didn't seem to be aimed at me. And I didn't know any of the people in them.

It wasn't even an important moment!

"I'm sure it's nothing, Annabeth," he kissed my forehead, and I tried to believe him.

"Yeah," I nodded, pushed my hair behind my ear.

"On the lighter side, there's something I want to ask you, Annabeth."

I knit my eyebrows in confusion.

"So, we're going home tomorrow."

I nodded.

"Yeah," I nodded.

"What do you think about having a baby?"

"A baby?"

"Yeah, why not?"

"You realize we've been married for a _week_, right, Perce?"

"Listen, as soon as we get home, people will want us to have a baby. And I don't want to have a baby because every audience I have with someone is them begging me to produce an heir."

Point one for Percy.

"And I'm ready to have a baby."

Three points for Percy.

"I love you, Annabeth."

And a million points.

"Alright, but not right now. Let's just calm down and get used to being married and running a kingdom, okay?"

Percy, smiling because he got what he wanted in the end, picked me up and swirled me around.

"I love you, Annabeth."

I responded by kissing him.

But I pulled away when someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," Persues groaned as he let me go.

"King Persues," a man, who I didn't know was even on the island, bowed, "I come from the castle. There is an urgent matter that needs your help now, your highness."

"I'll let you guys talk," I smiled as I left, hurrying out of the house and towards the garden in the back.

Sure, it was nothing to the gardens back home, but it was still a place where I felt relaxed. And, for the last week, my nerves have been giving me pure Hades.

I was leaning down to smell a rose when I felt the sudden heat and saw the glow behind me.

As soon as the glow died down, I spun around, praying that Hera was still too busy to visit me.

"Mother?"

There she was, in the form I hadn't seen in ten years.

She looked like the woman who had been queen in my kingdom, the one who had given birth to three children and "died" ten years ago. Her curly hair was light brown, and her face looked exactly like mine, right down to even the smallest little things.

"Annabeth," she smiled, opening her arms for a hug.

I couldn't help but rush into my mother's eyes and close my eyes tightly as she stroked my hair.

"How are you, Annabeth?" Athena smiled at me, acting like a mother instead of a goddess.

"Good, I guess."

"I have your wedding gift," Athena smiled, and I suddenly felt something heavy on my neck.

I looked down to see a silver amulet of an owl.

The eyes were a black diamond, and the rest of the owl was made up of regular diamonds. But it was the metal that interested me. I could almost feel it buzz, like there was something more important for it to do than just sit around my neck.

My mother pressed on the eyes, and I turned invisible.

I gasped as I looked down at myself.

Or where I was _supposed _to be.

I fumbled around for the owl necklace and pressed the eyes again.

"You'll probably have to hide it from your kids so they won't go spying, but…" Athena shrugged with a smile.

"I love it, Mom."

"This isn't my only gift, Annabeth," Athena took a few steps back, and a little box appeared in her hand.

The box alone could have been the gift. The tiny little thing was decked out in enough gold and diamonds to feed a starving country for the next millennia.

"This is for my little grandson," she handed me the box.

"So, you heard me and Percy talking about having a baby?"

"No."

"Then how do you-"

"You know, that dream last night hasn't been the only dream with Elpida and Philia in it."

Suddenly, I saw it all.

I _had_ outgrown the dreams.

_They _hadn't.

I looked down at my stomach, my eyes wide.

Elise.

Agapē.

Nick.

Luck.

Basilissa.

Hercules.

Thalia's mother was named Elise.

Juniper's favorite word is Agapē.

Nick could be short for Nico.

Luck is what Luke called our son in that dream.

Basilissa means queen, so does Reyna.

Hercules, like how Jason is a hero in the old stories.

Elpida and Philia, _my children._

"You mean I'm-"

"One week pregnant," Athena finished for me.

_**Percy,**_

"Alright, we'll be home by tonight," I nodded towards the servant, and he bowed before leaving.

One week on the job, and we already have a crisis.

No wonder my dad was so willing to pass this down to me.

I began to prepare how I'd tell Annabeth we had to leave.

She loved it here so much, so did I.

Here I wasn't king. Or son of the sea god. Or any of that.

I was just Perseus.

And Annabeth was just Annabeth.

We were just us.

No titles. No royalty.

Just people.

"Knock, knock."

I smiled.

"Come in, Annabeth."

Annabeth came in and shut the door behind her.

"Is that necklace new?"

"Uh, yeah, from my mom," Annabeth sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Athena was here."

Annabeth smiled as I began to shake.

"She just left, Percy."

I sighed with relief.

"Oh."

"So, Perce," Annabeth bit her lip, "You _were_ serious about wanting a baby, right?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Two Years Later<strong>_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Annabeth,<strong>_

"I love you, Annabeth," Percy kissed the side of my head, and I told him the same.

If anything, I loved him more every day we were married, which is something not a lot of people can say about the people they married.

"Gods, I wish Sparta could just shut up for a couple of days."

"In three days, someone else will have to worry about it. And we'll be sitting by a beach with our old friends and family, not even thinking about work," I smiled, and Percy kissed me again.

Every summer we went back to the kingdom I had been born in to take Eli home. And we always spent a month there with our old friends, Thalia, Nico, Jason, and Reyna. And, this summer, I have even more of a reason to go home since Thalia just wrote to me telling me that she was pregnant, and then of course there is my announcement, too.

"I'll see you later," he smiled, and I nodded.

Percy left, and I went back to the mirror and to see if I was showing yet.

When Aphrodite had come to give me the good news that I was pregnant, I basically had to hit her upside the head not to tell me if it was a boy or girl or what name it would have or what destiny it would fulfill. For once, I wanted to have a child the normal way.

To not know if it was a boy or girl until it was born. To not know its name until we had picked it out. And to not know what it would do in its life until it had grown up.

And it had taken the last month to get it through the gods' thick head that I didn't want to know all of this.

Satisfied that it would still be a while until people could look at me and immediately know that I was pregnant, I left the room and started walking the short distance down the hall.

My smile widened as I opened the door.

Azabella was rocking Elpida while her twin brother, Philia slept in his grand crib, and Azabella smiled as she looked up to me.

"Here's Mommy, Elpida," Azabella handed me my daughter, and I smiled as I kissed the top of her head.

"How's my little girl been?"

"She's been great, just woke up early this morning," Azabella smiled.

"That's my baby," I pushed her blonde hair out of her grey eyes.

"Ma Ma."

I stared at my daughter in disbelief.

"Go get Percy."

Azabella quickly ran off to do so, and I hugged Elpida, closing my eyes tightly as I thought about how much I loved her and her brother.

"Did Elpida say her first words?"

Percy.

I smiled to myself as I looked back to my husband.

Percy took the baby girl from my arms, and I felt pride swarm inside with something else mixed in.

Right then, I knew that I was the luckiest girl in the world.

I had a husband I loved. I had two beautiful children and one on the way. And I had my first child, who really wasn't my child, Eli, here with us, too.

"It's Philia's turn now," I smiled as I looked between the baby in the crib and Percy, who looked exactly alike I might add.

"Looks like Elpida lucked out over here, Philia," Percy picked up the other baby, "They got the brains. But we still got the looks."

I laughed and smiled at my husband.

"I still love you though, Philia. And, you, too, Elpida," Percy walked the short distance to me, "And you, too, Annabeth."

"Elpida said her first word?"

I broke away from Percy to look at the little blonde in the doorframe.

Eli had grown up so much, but he was still my little baby.

I nodded proudly, and he ran over to see his little niece.

Sometimes, I worried that Eli forgot that Elpida was his niece, not his sister.

Carefully, Eli took Elpida from Percy and sat her down on the floor to play with her, and I had to remind myself not to be over protective and that he could do it.

"Do you think the next baby will be this smart?"

We all looked down to Eli.

"You know about the baby?"

"I heard you guys talking about it when we went to the lake last week," Eli shrugged.

Percy and I looked to each other, and a smile played across Percy's lips.

"Well, it's official. We're having a baby."

* * *

><p><em><strong>The End<strong>_

* * *

><p><em><strong>If you'll notice, the begining is almost word by word what happens in the first chapter! And the dream came true!<strong>_

_**Thank you for reading! I love you guys, and I hope you loved this story!**_


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